What Will You Do Now?
by Kirby-Chan263
Summary: Mystery Skulls Ghost Animated fic. Drabbles concerning the gang before, during, and after the cave incident. Contains the polyamorous relationship of Lewis, Vivi, and Arthur in some chapters so be warned.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello all! Gosh it's been a while since I've submitted anything onto this site. Well, all these little drabbles are based on Mystery Skulls Ghost Animated. If you haven't seen the video, do yourself a favor and watch it. _

_Most of these drabbles will involve Lewvithur (because ot3 forever!) but some of them won't, don't worry. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!_

_All Mystery Skulls characters (c) MysteryBen/Ben Magnum_

* * *

She was lucky Tome Tomb was right next to the shop, otherwise she wouldn't have an excuse. The bell at the entrance to Kingsmen Mechanics rang, even though the sign said it was closed, making Lance look up in annoyance. "Can't you read the sign? We're-"

But he stopped himself when he saw Vivi and relaxed. "Oh. Hey Viv," he said with an almost forlorn smile. "You read the sign, right?"

"Yeah," the bluenette replied cheerfully. "But I let myself in. Is there a problem?"

"Nah, just…don't want people thinking we're open, is all."

"Why are you closed so early? It's only six o' clock!"

Lance shrugged. "Eh…didn't have the heart to keep it open right now." Making Vivi frown. She could easily guess the reason why.

"Actually, that's why I'm here. I need a favor from him. Is he in the garage?"

A nod and Lance motioned to the door to the garage behind him. "Yeah. Buried in work like always."

As if she didn't already know. She was almost sad to admit that Arthur was much better than he was the first few weeks he got out of the hospital. Though…that wasn't saying much. The first few weeks had been hell. Arthur had refused to take care of himself and his uncle had to do mostly everything for him.

But finally, after about a month, Lance had somewhat snapped his nephew out of it. He was eating and had gone back to working in the shop. It was an improvement. The only problem was…that was all Arthur seemed to do. Each day it seemed like he said less and less.

She vowed that she'd pull Arthur out of this rut somehow. Lewis' death really shook him, and he even lost his arm in the process. Arthur had just recently been fitted with a prosthetic but he never wore the damn thing. Said it was itchy and uncomfortable.

"Okay. Thanks, Uncle Lance."

"Vivi, how many times do I gotta tell you? I'm not your damn uncle."

She merely grinned at him and waltzed into the garage. "Artie!"

Said blonde's head shot up at the sudden voice. "Oh…hey Vi. What are you doing here?" And at least he was talking too. Vivi had to admire the fact that even with one arm, Arthur was still as handy as ever.

"I need a favor!" She replied cheerfully, perhaps a little too cheerfully. "Mystery's out of dog food and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind driving us to Petsmart real quick?" Vivi motioned to the dog at her side and gave her sweetest smile.

He'd forgotten that she didn't have a car of her own. "Wait, then how'd you get here?"

"I walked, silly." Oh, of course… Tome Tomb was close enough to her house that she could walk there and to Kingsmen Mechanics in one fell swoop. "But Petsmart is a little too far away. Please?"

Arthur suddenly looked dejected, staring down into the engine he was working on. "I…I'm kinda busy-!" But before he could even get out the rest of his excuse, he felt a hand ruffle his normally spiky hair. It had flattened recently. He hadn't had the heart to take care of it like normal.

"Forget it, Arthur. Drive your friend to the damn pet store. You need to get out of the shop anyway," Lance huffed.

"But Uncle Lance-!"

"Don't "but" me. You've been in here for days and you're beginning to stink the place up. It's just a small errand. It won't kill you."

Arthur would have loved to argue that. "But…"

"I just said no buts. Now go before I kick you out."

Well, there was no going back now. Arthur sighed in defeat and slumped over to the van, Vivi and Mystery following him. She mouthed "thank you" to Lance, who merely smiled and opened the garage for them.

Thankfully it only took about ten minutes to get there. Arthur absolutely refused to let anyone other than himself (and previously Lewis) drive his van. Lewis only got to drive it because of their history together. He had known the guy since middle school, after all…

A wince. That wasn't something he needed to think about right now. He had to pay attention to the road. Having only one arm didn't stop Arthur from driving at all. He tried to drive with the prosthetic but complained that it only slowed him down. So he switched to only one hand. He had to adjust (and luckily Lance let him do so in the safety of the parking lot) but that barely took any time at all.

"Alright, we're here," Arthur mumbled while putting the van in park. "Can you make it quick?"

Vivi frowned. "You're not coming inside with us?"

"No. Why would I?"

"So you could spend time with us!" Vivi had just about had it with Arthur's attitude. She wanted her best friend back. Her sudden outburst left Arthur speechless. "Please Arthur? I know it's been hard since Lewis'…since he left us." So she still thought about it too. Of course she would. "But you have to snap out of it! I miss hanging out with you, going on ghost hunts with you, just…you being _you._

"So…please? Please just come inside?"

_It won't kill you._

Yeah… Arthur knew his uncle had a point. He hadn't meant to hurt Vivi. That was the absolute _last _thing he ever wanted. "…A-alright. Sorry, Vi, I just…" The mechanic fell silent when he felt her hand over his.

"I know." Two simple words and yet they meant the world to Arthur. He even gave her a little smile, the first one he had given anyone in weeks.

* * *

Mystery trotted around the store happily. He had to be on a leash, rules of the store of course, but for now he didn't seem to mind. When Arthur saw Mystery like this, an innocent looking dog, he couldn't help but wonder if he was just hallucinating that giant form in the cave…

But a tiny dog like Mystery couldn't grow to the size of a war horse and tear off someone's arm.

"Oh man…" Vivi groaned. "They've rearranged things. Now I have no idea where the dog food is."

Arthur tilted his head. "Want me to go ask someone?"

A pause. While that sounded like the practical thing to do, wandering their way around here sounded like the perfect opportunity to keep Arthur out of that stuffy workshop longer than anticipated. Her annoyed frown quickly turned into a pleased smile at this thought. "No, that's okay! We can find it ourselves! It'll be like an adventure!"

Sometimes Vivi was so childlike, though Arthur couldn't help the amused snort. "The adventure for dog food, huh?" Mystery perked up. He liked the sound of that! And what a great reward! "I don't think it'll sell tickets, Vi."

"Pft! Then they don't know what they're missing!" She happily trudged ahead with Mystery right on her heels.

_Sheesh, and they call me a dork. _But he wouldn't have it any other way. And it was then that Arthur realized that he truly missed just simple outings like this. He was ashamed that he had forgotten what it was like…

Their search for dog food had landed them in the small rodents section of the store and Arthur was immediately drawn to it. Rats, mice…and hamsters, of course. He smiled down at the little creatures. Vivi wouldn't mind this little detour, right?

He started feeling a tad nostalgic. More than a few of these little guys had a home back when he was a kid. Somehow down the line, his parents had forbid him to get anymore. Maybe they were tired of paying for them.

"Oh Arthur!" Vivi's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Arthur look!"

"What?"

And again Vivi was all smiles. "This hamster! It looks exactly like you!"

It was true. The fur was the right shade of Arthur's hair, save for the white belly, and it even had the little strands of brown hair hanging in his face (usually they were standing up, but since he hadn't messed with his hair in so long…).

It was strange, however. All the other hamsters were running around as excited as can be. This one just lied there…unmoving.

And it just looked…so sad.

"Hamster Arthur! How cute!~" Vivi squealed before turning to the real Arthur. "Are you going to get him?"

That was a question he wasn't ready for. "I –er…"

"Excuse me." A different voice cut him off this time. The two of them looked up to see one of the workers looking down at them with a rather somber look. They moved out of the way and she quickly opened the very same hamster cage they were looking into…and picked up the very same hamster they were looking at as well. "Sorry, little guy…" Arthur heard her mumble and immediately had a bad feeling.

"Miss?" He called out to stop her. "Is…is there something wrong?"

"Oh, well…you mean about this little one?"

"Y-yeah…"

Again she sighed sadly. "He can't move his back legs. Born with his lower half paralyzed. And well…people aren't going to want a hamster that doesn't move so…"

Arthur felt sick. They were going to put the little guy down, weren't they? Just because he was paralyzed…

Losing the use of limbs was a horrible experience. Arthur could relate. _He's just like me…_

And then he stood, determined. "Bullcrap."

"E-excuse me?"

"Bullcrap that nobody would want him. I'll take him."

* * *

It all happened so fast that even Vivi couldn't catch up. Before she knew it, Arthur had gotten food, a cage, treats, toys, shavings, everything a hamster could have ever wanted and more. She had all but forgotten about getting food for Mystery at this point. It had been quite some time since she'd seen Arthur so determined.

But she could immediately understand why. Arthur connected with the tiny creature. It wasn't just about the looks. She knew that look in his eye. Arthur wanted to prove a point.

Finally everything was paid for and (after remembering the reason they came here in the first place), they were out the door. Vivi and even Mystery were helping carry all of the supplies back to the van. They settled nicely in the back.

Arthur paused. This could be a problem. He wanted to drive but he also didn't want his new pet to leave his side.

Oh boy. That only meant one thing. "Hey, uh, Vivi?"

"Yeah?"

"You, um…" He knew this was going to sound weird. "Would you…mind driving?"

Silence. Vivi stared at him like he had grown a second head. She put a hand onto his forehead. "Artie, are you feeling okay?"

He swatted her hand away. "Come on. I gotta hold onto this little guy and I don't have an extra arm to drive with, alright?"

Giggle. "I know, I've just never heard you ask me to drive your van! I'll have to mark this day on my calendar!"

"Yeah, and you'd better treat her right…" As overprotective of that van as always. Vivi would never understand it, but then again, she knew next to nothing about cars.

It felt weird being in the passenger's seat of the van again. Sometimes when Lewis was driving he'd sit up here, but normally this was Vivi's spot…

_Don't think about it, Arthur. Just don't._

Instead, he opened the tiny box they had placed the hamster in and peered inside with a smile. The hamster stared right back at him with his beady black eyes. "Hey there…" He mumbled, not noticing Vivi watching him in the corner of her eye as she drove. "I know it's kinda sudden but I hope you like your new home." The mechanic reached in with his only hand and gently pet the tiny hamster.

It let out a tiny squeak. Obviously the poor thing was still startled. Arthur was surprised the hamster didn't full on bite him.

"That was really sweet of you, Arthur…" Vivi gently cooed to her friend. He knew that kindhearted Arthur was still in there somewhere. "You saved his life."

Arthur fell silent. He went from taking life to saving it… This wouldn't make up for anything, at least when it came to Lewis…but one step at a time. Maybe he could make life just a little bit better for this little guy. "I want to see if there's something I can do for him. Maybe help him walk somehow." In fact he already had something in mind.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Gently Arthur scratched the little ham-ham under the chin. "He deserves to run around just like everyone else. Just lying there doesn't sound like all that much fun…"

The hamster looked at him curiously. "And then…maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"N-nothing."

"Aw, come on! Tell me what you were going to say!"

But Arthur merely smiled. "I wanna work out a few details first. But when I do, you'll be the first to know. Promise." That twinkle in his eye, the one that Vivi knew meant he had tons of ideas just swimming through his mind, made her glad she and Lance had forced Arthur on this trip.

Maybe a hamster was just what he needed. Another distraction, someone to take care of. Someone to talk to when Lance was too busy and Vivi or Mystery weren't there either. It was perfect.

Speaking of Arthur's uncle…

"Arthur, what the hell? You brought home a hamster?"

"Yep, I sure did. This is what happens when you kick me out, Uncle Lance."

"…Remind me never to kick you out ever again."

* * *

It was so quiet in the room that one could practically hear a pin drop. Arthur was in full concentration mode, tongue popped out the side of his mouth and everything as he put the finishing touches on his little invention. "There we go!" Finally some noise around here.

Smiling, Arthur turned and walked over to the large glass home he had gotten for his pet hamster. "Alright Galaham, it's all finished," he said while picking him up. "Ready to try it out?" His only response was a confused tilt of the head and Galahad continued to chew on his sunflower seed.

It was a good enough confirmation as any. He plopped back down into his seat before getting setting Galahad onto the small contraption he had built for him. A small set of wheels, designed to perhaps replace the little guy's back legs.

The hamster wobbled the moment he was put in this strange thing. To go from having to movement to extremely fluid movement was something Galahad wasn't expecting and his face quickly met the floor (not that they weren't well acquainted already). With a wince, Arthur helped him up so he could try again.

And again. And a few more times. Arthur debated on getting rid of the thing but Galaham seemed determined at this point if the angry squeaking wasn't a good enough clue. Finally the hamster seemed to get it and soon enough the little guy was zooming all around the room like he had lived with that thing all his life. The mechanic was impressed.

It only made sense though, Galaham being his assistant and all. Arthur smiled at the small inside joke. He held out his hand for Galaham to come into and in an instant he was there, nuzzling Arthur's cheek in thanks.

It had been a while since he felt like this. Proud of what he had done…happy for himself. He had to show his uncle.

"So he can move around on that thing?"

"Yeah! It took a little practice but now he's a pro!" Arthur set Galaham down just for a small demonstration, but as soon as he did, the little hamster took off like a rocket. "Uh…" And laughed nervously. "He's a fast learner."

"Christ, no kidding…" Just as the ham-ham was zooming by, Lance managed to grab him and plop him right back into Arthur's hand. "Keep a better eye on him, will ya?"

"I will, I will." Arthur knew his uncle would never admit it but he knew the other had grown fond of Galaham in the short time he had been a part of the family. "Oh! I wanted to show you something else too!" He quickly turned to head back up to his room, hoping his uncle knew him enough to follow.

Of course he did. Lance knew Arthur better than anyone. "Yeah? What's it this time?"

The answer was received in the form of blueprints. Lance's eyes widened. He knew Arthur was smart but he had never seen the boy design such intricate blueprints before. "Is this…a prosthetic arm?"

"Yeah!" Arthur replied excitedly, more excited than Lance had seen him in quite some time. "Galaham inspired me! I figured if he could have robot legs (kind of), I could have a robot arm!"

Lance smiled as he listened to his nephew babble on. "It's made of metal and not that really annoying plastic, and it'll be attached directly to the nerves, and…"

Maybe he was finally starting to heal. He didn't mind the hamster so much after that.


	2. Chapter 2

_This chapter contains Lewvithur. That said, it focuses more on Uncle Lance, because I love that dude._

* * *

Lance wasn't an idiot. He could be a little dense sometimes but he was by no means blind.

Ever since Arthur had lost his arm, Lance had trained himself to see the small changes in his nephew. It started out as noticing when Arthur wore long sleeves to hide his remaining arm, or the guilty look in his eye whenever someone talked about Lewis.

It never really hit him how deep this rut Arthur had gotten himself into was until Vivi dragged Arthur in one rainy night, telling the older man how she had to talk him off of a ledge. After that, Lance always made sure someone was keeping an eye on Arthur. If it wasn't him, it was someone in the shop, or Vivi, or even that damned dog of hers (although at first Arthur was extremely jumpy around Mystery).

Once Galahad became part of the family, things seemed to get better. His nephew had even crafted himself a robotic arm (with some help of course).

And then suddenly Lewis was back. Arthur had texted his uncle saying that he was finally coming home from an extremely long cross country tour of various haunted estates. What he wasn't expecting was the deceased fourth member of their group to be with them.

Arthur looked tired. Extremely tired. And spooked, but that was a given. The kid could never really handle all the ghosts and hauntings Vivi dragged him too.

Well, not dragged. Arthur loved his friends and always went with them willingly, even if he didn't particularly like what they did. They wanted him to come along and he wanted to be with them so Lance couldn't complain too much. He didn't believe in all this ghost and spirit mumbo-jumbo and preferred not to get mixed up in their antics, but the kids were having a good time and travelling around.

And everything turned out alright in the end. Most of the time.

But this…_this_...Lance didn't know what to think about this. It had been almost two years since Lewis' death and he looked exactly the same, save for the dead and hollowed out eyes.

The first time Lance saw them, it sent a shiver down his spine. This was the first time he had ever seen a ghost, and Lewis of all people. Suddenly he wished he had taken Vivi's babbles more seriously. Usually he tuned them out whenever she started going off.

"Lewis…?"

"H-hey…Mr. Kingsmen."

At first he thought this was some sort of trick. Some sort of hologram Arthur made at Vivi's request to get Lance to believe in the supernatural. But the way the figure carried himself, the way he spoke, the way he _fucking refused to call him by his first name…_

It was Lewis alright. Lance had no doubt in his mind. Arthur had been friends with Lewis since middle school and Lance had known him just as long. Those trained eyes landed on his nephew. Holding onto his metal arm like his life depended on it. Bags around his eyes. Looking guilty. Arthur was hiding something big, and not just the fact that they had found a ghostly Lewis.

He reached over and grabbed Arthur's prosthetic arm, starting to drag him away. "'Scuse us," he grumbled and pulled his nephew into a few rooms over, ignoring the panicked and confused looks Lewis and Vivi sent their way.

"Arthur. What the hell is going on?"

"Ah…w-well…it's a-a little hard to explain, Uncle Lance."

He plopped himself down in a chair, crossing his arms. "Try me."

Lance always knew when Arthur was hiding something. Always. The kid was already a terrible liar and had only managed to get away with lying to his uncle once.

In fact, now that he thought about it, Arthur never once told him what happened the night he lost his arm. Vivi had told him since Arthur absolutely refused to talk about it. But even then, Vivi was only recounting what Arthur had told her.

And judging from the guilty looks his nephew always had when talking about Lewis, there was something else going on here. Lance was determined to get it out of him. "And I mean it, Arthur. Tell me _everything._"

So he did. Lance watched as Arthur slowly broke down. Going to the cave, splitting up with Lewis one way, the left side of his body going numb. Being possessed.

Pushing Lewis.

It became increasingly clear just why Arthur never told anyone about this, even his own family. "N-nobody would believe me…if I said what happened… A-and Vivi didn't remember anything… I didn't know what to do…! I didn't mean to kill him! I didn't, I swear! P-please believe me, I didn't-!" Arthur stopped when he felt a hand over his only flesh one.

Lance didn't say a word for the longest time. He was horrible at talking about feelings and even worse at showing them. But he tried. He pulled Arthur into a hug and just held him there. Even when his nephew broke down again, he continued to comfort as best as he could. "I believe you, kiddo." After what he just witnessed, Lance was willing to give into his suspension of disbelief.

Arthur wouldn't hurt a fly if he could help it. It wasn't in the kid's nature. He continued, saying how they found Lewis in a mansion, how he was a skeleton ghost…and how Lewis had tried to kill him. Lance tensed when he heard that.

"He did what?"

From the look on Arthur's face, he hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Uncle Lance-"

"He tried to _kill _you?"

"I _did _kill him!"

"No you didn't! You just said something used your body to do it!"

"And he knows that now!" Lance fell silent as Arthur tried to catch his breath. "He…he knows… It took a really long time…a few weeks at least…" A few weeks? They've been travelling around with a ghost for a few _weeks_? "B-but…but everything's okay…or well…as okay as it can be for now…"

"He forgave you?"

"…" That silence only made Lance even more worried. "I don't know," Arthur answered honestly. "I don't think he'll ever really forgive me. But everything's better than they were when we first found him. I promise… S-so please, Uncle Lance. Don't be angry at him."

This was so messed up. Nobody was truly at fault here. Arthur hadn't meant to kill him. Lewis didn't have all of the information. Vivi didn't have her memories. Everything was just fucked up. Who the hell was he supposed to blame?

"Fine…" But the brightened look that appeared on his nephew's face with just that one word was perhaps worth it. He watched as Arthur ran from the room, back to his friends. He heard their concern (they probably overheard the whole thing, damn kids). With a sigh, Lance reached into his pocket and lit up a cigarette.

He was going to need at least a few of these.

* * *

His trained eyes had started to see the changes. Arthur worked with a vigor Lance hadn't seen in almost two years. His nephew had always been dedicated to his work but after Lewis died, the way he worked was almost robotic (and not just because of the arm). Like he _had _to do it in order to keep himself sane.

Now it looked like Arthur was worked because he genuinely enjoyed it. Lance had to admit, he missed that pleased look on Arthur's face when he finished a project. Even the other workers in the shop had taken notice of Arthur's change of tone.

When Lewis and Vivi came to visit, the three of them would talk and laugh and it was almost as if Lewis had never died. Lance almost forgot numerous times that Lewis was a ghost but one look at those eyes (when the sunglasses were off) was enough to push him back into reality, as screwed up as it was.

But then something started to change once again. It started when Arthur came home one evening with his face beet red. When asked what happened, Arthur's only reply was a curt "Nothing!" before he retreated to his room for the night. After that, Lance started to notice the interactions between the three of them were slightly different. Not the topics, but just the way they presented themselves.

The way Arthur looked at them. Lance had seen that look before. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried.

Not about Vivi. The little blue girl was never anything to worry about (except when she was angry apparently. And behind the wheel). It was Lewis.

The day when Lance took Lewis aside in private was one of the weirdest days of his life. He hadn't spoken to Lewis much since his return, no doubt the ghost had noticed if that look he gave him was anything to go by, and Lance's gaze hardened when he had Lewis alone. It was the most serious Lewis had ever seen the man.

"I know what's going on."

Lewis remained silent.

"I've seen the way Arthur looks at you. I'm not blind."

He was silent for a moment longer before finally the ghost spoke up. "He…he hasn't…"

"Hasn't said a word."

Lewis' face fell.

"But I wanna tell you something. I don't give a damn if the three of you are together, alright?" Now the ghost just seemed confused. "He's been happy lately. The happiest I've seen him in years. If being with you and Vivi does that to him then I'm all for it. But not everyone will be. You understand that, right?"

A nod.

"I hope you do. My stupid nephew's already been through enough heartbreak in his life. I almost lost him twice when you weren't around. I don't know about you but I don't want to see him like that again. So I'm gonna make this perfectly clear.

"You do anything, and I mean _anything, _to hurt Arthur again, and I will personally send you to the deepest pits of hell. Or whatever equivalent the afterlife has to offer." He watched as Lewis' sunglasses fell slightly off his nose and somehow those hollowed eyes looking so scared gave Lance a small feeling of satisfaction.

"Not that I expect you to. You're a good kid, Lewis. Just keep that in mind."

Lewis fixed his glasses and nodded. "Y-yes sir."

"Good." Lance gave the purple-haired ghost a pat on the back. "Now get outta here and take him with you. He's been in here since last night and needs a break."

Blink. "Last night? He hasn't slept or anything?"

"Nope. Not that I know of."

That was all Lewis needed to hear before he was out the door and back over with his two best friends (and more). Lance smiled at the way Lewis fussed over Arthur, berating him for not sleeping _again, _and him and Vivi dragging his nephew out.

It would take some getting used to. But Lance had a feeling he didn't need to worry much about Arthur anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

_Another Lewvithr drabble! This was actually a request from someone on Tumblr; they wanted OT3 cuddles and fluff. I was more than happy to deliver._

* * *

_Scrit scrit…_

They were staying in Lewis' mansion for the night. It wasn't uncommon for them to crash there every once in a while. The place was huge and it was way better than sleeping in the cramped van, that's for sure.

_Scrit scrit…_

It did take quite a bit of convincing to get Arthur to sleep in a haunted mansion the first time but eventually the man relented. Lewis had promised that the other ghosts wouldn't bother him (too much, sometimes it was hard to control the Deadbeats). And they had slept soundly each subsequent time.

_Scrit scrit…_

But right now it was hard to get any sleep with that damn noise…

_Scrit scrit…_

"Arthur, for god's sake!" Vivi sat up in bed and threw a pillow at the blonde haired mechanic. It hit him dead on in the back of the head and nearly caused him to faceplant onto the provided workbench.

"Geez! Vivi, watch where you're aiming!"

"I was aiming for _you_, doofus!" Lewis rolled his eyes at their bickering. He was lying next to Vivi on the bed, keeping to himself for now. Sure he didn't need to technically sleep, but Lewis did rest from time to time.

He could never pass up a chance to hold his two lovers close to him anyway.

But this night, Arthur had refused at first to come to bed. He had promised that he'd join then once he was finished with his work but that was hours ago. "It's three in the goddamn morning, Arthur," Vivi grumbled while rubbing her eyes. "Come to bed already."

"In a sec," Arthur replied, turning back to his project. "I just need to make a few more adjustments."

"You said that two hours ago," Lewis piped up this time.

"And I mean it this time!"

"You said that too." The ghost deadpanned and snapped his fingers. A trio of Deadbeats appeared behind him and with a happy chime, headed straight for Arthur. One of them scooped up the machine he was working on (some sort of detection device? Lewis had no idea what it was) while the other two scooped up Arthur himself by his arms.

Clearly they were enjoying themselves, as was a giggling Vivi. The Deadbeats were a lot stronger than they looked! "Wha– hey!" Arthur called out in a panic, his legs flailing uselessly under him. "Put me down! Lew, tell them to put me down!"

Oh he just said the magic words. Lewis grinned. "With pleasure." Once again he snapped his fingers, but instead of putting him back in his seat, the two Deadbeats cackled and flew Arthur over to the bed to drop him there.

Soon Arthur found himself pressed between his two _very touchy _best friends. "G-guys-!" But Vivi shut him up with a small kiss and practically flopped on top of him.

"Go to sleep, Arthur," she groaned, snuggling into his chest and falling back asleep almost instantly. The blonde felt himself blush, and it didn't help when Lewis wrapped his arms around the both of them.

"If she's cranky in the morning, I'm blaming you," the magenta ghost said with a teasing grin.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"And you're not allowed to complain that you're tired in the morning."

"I got it." Arthur crossed his arms in a pout, making Lewis raise an eyebrow.

"Do you…need help taking that off?" The ghost had only seen Arthur fall asleep with his prosthetic on once. He vowed to never let it happen again.

"What?" The mechanic looked down at his robotic arm. "Oh. No, I got it." Since he was being forced to sleep, he might as well take it off. The intricacies of Arthur's arm still fascinated Lewis. He had no idea how it worked but somehow Arthur could use it like a regular arm. He watched as the other undid a few latches and bit his lip…before practically ripping the arm off his stump's connector. "L-like a Band-Aid, y'know?"

Lewis frowned but didn't answer, instead taking the arm and resting it on the table next to the bed. When he looked back, Arthur was staring down lovingly at Vivi. It was a rare moment when Arthur actually looked at peace with himself.

"What are you thinking about?" Lewis couldn't help but ask, resting his chin on top of Arthur's head.

"Nothing really…just…thanks Lewis."

The ghost tilted his head in confusion. "For what?"

"F-for…y'know…"

"No, I don't know. That's why I asked."

"Er…n-never mind. It's stupid."

The frown deepened. Why did Arthur always clam up when actually talking about himself? It drove Lewis insane that his boyfriend really didn't…_care _about himself. His grip around Arthur tightened. "Tell me."

As if he didn't need any more reasons to blush. "N-no, Lew, it's fine. It's n-not important anyway. Don't worry abou-"

"Of course it's important." The ghost cut him off, hollowed eyes practically drilling into Arthur's own amber. "You have important things to say. So tell me. Why are you thanking me? You don't just thank someone for no reason."

The blonde fell silent but Lewis waited patiently until he was ready to talk. "For…just…this. All of this."

He was hoping for the other to elaborate. After waiting a few moments to get nothing, Lewis tried again. "Arthur, you're not answering-"

"Just the fact that you and Vivi even _considered _being with me after…after what I did…"

…Oh. Was that what this was all about? While it of course had taken some time to forgive Arthur, even after realizing it wasn't his fault, Lewis didn't regret being with them at all. Death…wasn't so bad when you could still spend it with the people you cared most about.

Just as Lewis was about to voice this to the mechanic, Arthur squeaked when he felt Vivi's arms tighten around him this time. "You're still going on about that?" She looked and sounded quite annoyed.

"V-Vivi…"

Lewis smiled sadly. "Sorry. Did we wake you?"

"It's impossible to sleep with the yapping you two are doing," the bluenette huffed in response before crawling into Arthur's lap. "Now you listen here, buster. We _know _it wasn't your fault. We know this, alright? So stop it. Stop blaming yourself. Lewis forgave you."

The ghost nodded. "Arthur, we love you. I know it…it was hard in the beginning but I came around." Leaning down, Lewis pressed a kiss to Arthur's cheek. "You need to do the same."

As hard as he tried not to, Arthur felt himself start to tear up. He always cried when talking about this…always. Even if it wasn't his fault, he was constantly amazed that the two of them had forgiven him. Maybe not _easily _in Lewis' case but all the same…

"Right!" Vivi piped up, suddenly much more awake than she had been five seconds ago. She grinned at Arthur, booping their noses together. "Now then, if you two aren't gonna sleep then whaddya say to doing something else then, hm?~"

The beat of silence that followed would have been almost comical if Arthur wasn't so embarrassed. "…What?"

"Great idea, Vivi," Lewis replied with a purr that made Arthur shudder. "We can tire him out that way."

"…_What?_"

"C'mere Artie!"

"WAUGH –_VIVI! _LEW, STOP HER!"

"Nope~"

"_YOU GUYYYYYS!"_

The good news was that Arthur did eventually fall asleep that night…after some _persuasion._


	4. Chapter 4

_Another request from Tumblr. This one was Lewvithur with Arthur losing his memory and the rest of the gang sharing stories to try to get it back. I don't think I followed it very well...but I like how it ended anyway. I might continue this._

* * *

Lewis had decided that if there was anything worse than dying, it was losing a precious memory.

He had lost precious memories of Arthur, growing up with him, the blonde practically becoming part of his family. He had almost completely destroyed them in favor of a false sense of peace. Vivi had lost memories of Lewis, namely his death.

The difference between that and this was that the two of them had only lost certain memories and they had gained them back. Lewis had hoped he never had to deal with it again. But fate was never so kind to them.

It started out like any other job. An abandoned library this time, but instead of retaining information, the stories all said that people would forget. In retrospect, it was almost ironic.

They hadn't been prepared for the spirit. The gang had split into two groups and this time Arthur had gone with Vivi while faintly muttering to himself that at least there weren't any cliffs in this place. That promptly earned him a smack from Vivi.

It only took him looking away for a second but soon enough Arthur had lost Vivi. The girl never did know how to slow down. "Shit…" Couldn't she wait for him just one time?

Arthur suddenly felt a chill. "Guys?" It wasn't Lewis. Lewis wasn't cold, he was extremely warm and smelled like peppers.

"_Give…them…"_

Double shit. The voice was coming from all around; there was no way to pinpoint it. "Uh…g-give what?"

"_Can't…remember…n-need more…"_

* * *

By the time Vivi realized she had left Arthur behind, she wanted to smack herself. How could she have done that? She wasn't thinking! Quickly she doubled back to where she was pretty sure she lost her boyfriend.

He was there, right where she thought he was…but something felt off. He was just standing there, unmoving. Nervously she approached him. "Hey…sorry about that. I thought I saw something and you know me, I go off without really thinking about it…"

No answer. Not even a twitch. "Arthur?"

All she did was gently touch his shoulder but it was enough to have the blonde crumple to the ground. Vivi let out a surprised shriek and was immediately by his side. "Arthur! What happened?!" His eyes were wide open and those amber irises she loved so much had paled to the point they were almost white.

But his expression was lifeless. He looked awake but nobody was home. Vivi shook him a few times and desperately calling out his name. It didn't take long for the other half of their group to come looking.

"What's going on?" Lewis exclaimed; his human guise abandoned in a panic.

"I-I don't know! I ran ahead of him a little and when I found him again, he was…he was just standing there…"

The way Arthur's eyes looked made Lewis nervous. He couldn't help but think he had seen that exact same expression before…but where?

"We're leaving. We'll come back later but we've got to make sure he's okay first." Vivi nodded without hesitation and watched as Lewis picked up their boyfriend, manually closed his eyes, and bolted to the exit. The ghost still couldn't shake this horrible feeling.

* * *

Whether he listened to his instincts or not wouldn't have mattered. Once back in their hotel room, Vivi had removed Arthur's robotic arm so he could sleep off whatever had been done to him peacefully. The first thing Arthur saw when he came to were two faces looking down at him. One human and one…

"Arthur?"

Again there was no answer but the blank expression from before had vanished. But Lewis wasn't sure what was worse. There wasn't any recognition in Arthur's now pale eyes. In fact, if Lewis didn't know any better, he could swear that Arthur looked-

"_**AAAAAHHHH!" **_

…Terrified.

"SKELETON! GHOST?! WHAT THE-?!" The blonde scrambled out of Lewis' arms and promptly fell off the bed. "OW!"

"Arthur, calm down!" Vivi's hands may have been tiny but they were firm as they grabbed onto the mechanic's shoulders and held him steady. "What's wrong with you? It's just Lewis!"

"Are you _crazy?! _That's a skeleton!" Arthur yanked himself away from Vivi's grip. "L-listen, I don't know who the hell you people are, but I swear I don't-!"

"What did you just say?"

Arthur paused. These people didn't look ready to hurt him (or at least the girl didn't, it was sort of hard to tell with the floating skeleton head). In fact, they looked hurt themselves. "I…said I don't know who you are but I don't have anything worth stealing?"

Silence. "Arthur…" Vivi spoke up this time.

Lewis quickly changed his appearance to his living form and gestured to himself and Vivi. "You don't recognize us?"

"N…no…? Should I?" Okay, that form was a little better, but those eyes were really creeping him out. "Uh…n-nice trick there, buddy…"

Now Lewis understood why the look Arthur had before seemed so familiar to him. Back in the cave…Vivi had the same look when he erased her memories.

But it hadn't been to this extent. He had only erased one thing; his death. She still remembered Arthur, Mystery, even himself…

So that begged the question: What _did _Arthur remember?

Vivi seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Yes, you should… Do you remember anything?"

"…" That seemed to set off a few bells in Arthur's mind. "A…actually…" His flesh hand made it to his temples. He'd meant to raise both arms but one look at his stump of a left arm had him pale. "Wh-where's my arm?!"

* * *

After they managed to calm him down, Vivi decided the easiest way to figure this out was a good old fashioned game of twenty questions.

"Okay, so do you remember your name?"

"Arthur Kingsmen."

"Right! And do you remember what you do for a living?"

"I'm a mechanic."

"Right again!"

Lewis sighed. Baby steps first, he supposed… But as riveting as this was, he'd rather hurry up and get to the root of the problem. Vivi had told him to wait in another room so he didn't startle their boyfriend any more than he already was.

"It seems like he remembers everything…except us," Lewis mumbled to the not!dog next to him. "He didn't even remember you could talk."

"…"

"…Mystery?" Did he refuse to speak now because of what Arthur said? This was getting more annoying by the second.

A few minutes later, Vivi walked out looking for forlorn than Lewis had ever seen her. Apparently, besides his name, Arthur also remembered working at Kingsmen Mechanics and sort of remembered his uncle as well. But when it came to anything about the paranormal, their gang, their friendship, and even their growing feelings for each other…nothing.

Vivi had decided they should try to jog his memory. As long as Lewis was in human guise, Arthur seemed to be fine. "Do you remember introducing us to the van? You were so excited. Said your uncle had given it to you to fix and do what you want with it. We all fixed it up and now we travel around the country with it."

"And remember our first job? It was in one of those stereotypical warehouses. You always wondered why all the hauntings were in warehouses. But the whole thing turned out to be a hoax. Just a guy in a mask."

There was still no recognition in Arthur's eyes, though he seemed extremely amused. Again Lewis and Vivi were stunned by that look in his eyes. Something was different about Arthur. The memory loss was obvious but it was something else… "A guy in a mask, huh? That's cliché."

"Y-yeah…" Vivi swallowed. "And…and remember the Mystery Inc.? We've always had a huge rivalry with them. Of course there was that one time we had to work together at that weird…theme park. Was that it, Lew?"

He nodded. "I think that was the first time we actually saw a real ghost before. All of us." Arthur almost winced at the dry chuckle that echoed from the magenta ghost. He'd almost forgotten the guy was dead until he heard that echo. "And it had friends. We all had to work together to get rid of them."

"And after that, we vowed to never work with each other again."

"Yeah…"

They both stared at Arthur, who was trying his hardest not to laugh. "Any of this ringing any bells…?"

It was disappointing but the blonde shook his head once the laughter had died down. "Sorry…" He replied with a shrug. "To be honest, I didn't even believe in ghosts until I saw this big guy." Arthur gestured to Lewis. "How did you die anyway? If it's okay to ask."

If Lewis still had to breathe, it would have caught in his throat. That was the one question Lewis _didn't _want Arthur to ask.

Realization hit Lewis like a ton of bricks. Why Arthur seemed different. He wasn't _scared. _Perhaps he was at first but once he warmed up to Lewis he seemed to be okay. He didn't have that permanent sad look in his eyes. He was peacefully _oblivious_ to what had happened two years before…

This was Arthur before the accident. Before the guilt had nearly overtaken him. He was _**happy**__. _The golden locket on his chest sagged and turned a pale blue.

"I-I…don't remember…"

* * *

"Why did you lie, Lewis?" Vivi demanded after Arthur had fallen asleep. Lewis gently stroked the mechanic's hair. He looked so peaceful…the most peaceful he had seen him in years.

It was a few moments before Lewis found the courage to answer. "I couldn't tell him… Vivi, he doesn't remember what happened. Being possessed…or killing me."

Finally he looked up to the bluenette, and Vivi was shocked to see those hollowed eyes stinging with tears. "This is the most happy I've seen him in ages. I can't ruin that. I…I can't."

_Click. _"Y-you mean…"

A nod.

The silence was overwhelming. It was only broken when Mystery lifted his head and finally spoke up. "The ghost in the library… I've figured out what she did. She was a spirit who had lost the memories of her true love. According to folklore, it was her most priceless memories of all. It seems like…she takes away the memories of others in the vain hope she can regain hers."

Vivi quirked an eyebrow. "But why was she so specific? Arthur can remember things about himself and a few things about his family… So why can't he remember us?" Her question made Mystery's ears lower.

"…Because she only takes away a person's most precious memories. Just like those of her lover were her most treasured, any memories of us were most precious to him…"

It was beginning to make sense. "And…the reason he can remember things about himself…" Lewis started as he turned back to Arthur.

"…Is because he doesn't consider any memories with him precious. Yes…"

Vivi felt her heart break a little. It was true. Arthur never considered himself a valuable part of the team… And after Lewis' death, it only got worse. "Do you…do you think…he should stay like this?"

Canine ears perked up but Lewis didn't move. "Vivi?"

"I mean…Lewis is right. He's so much happier this way…"

They didn't know. There was a difference between what they wanted and what the right thing to do was. The only problem was deciding which one was which.

None of them spoke for the rest of the night.


	5. Chapter 5

_The prompt for this one was for the Antagonist Lewis AU, where Lewis is a stereotypical Scooby-Doo villain after Arthur's head before he eventually rejoins the group. Basically Arthur is trapped in a sea cave with high tide coming in fast. Does Lewis save him?_

* * *

Arthur was beginning to think he had a curse put on him at a young age. He tried not to think about how many times he almost died in the last half hour.

As if going into another cave wasn't bad enough, but then the damn thing had to collapse all around him, Vivi, and Mystery. He had pushed Vivi to safety but in the process had fallen into one of the many cracks in the ground created by the sudden cave in.

He wasn't sure if it was luck or otherwise that landed him in the ocean below. On one hand the water did soften his fall. On the other…

"_AUGH-!" _

The circuits on his arm began to short out and Arthur swore his whole body went numb; the shortage gone straight to his nerves. He felt himself sink in the water and began to panic. If being electrocuted didn't kill him then he would certainly drown.

The arm had to go! He barely had enough time to register this before the feeling returned in his other arm and he quickly removed his prosthetic. Arthur didn't pay it any mind as it began to sink to the depths below. He only focused on getting air.

Swimming with one arm was a lot harder than it looked. It didn't help that he naturally sucked at swimming anyway.

But finally he managed to break the surface and gasp for air, rapidly kicking until he found some solid ground. For a while he just held on with his remaining arm, trying to catch his breath, until finally he found the will to pull himself up onto the rocks. Slippery or not, somehow he found a way.

And then he sat and waited, clutching his stump of an arm left. Waited for what? Even Arthur wasn't sure. There was no way Vivi would find him down here. He was on his own.

After a few minutes of calming down, Arthur stood up on shaky legs and looked around. There had to be an exit here somewhere. He took one step and almost slipped and fell on his face. Right. Slippery rocks.

Alright, take two, and he made sure to be careful this time. He tried the wall, thinking maybe he could climb up somewhere to safety. Unfortunately that proved to be pointless. It was bad enough he only had one arm, but the rocks were so slippery that climbing was impossible. Arthur found that out the hard way after one attempt, sliding down the rocks and scraping his remaining arm rather badly.

He couldn't swim either. No way in hell was he getting back in the water. And there was no exit in sight. He was wet and cold and no amount of shivering would warm him up.

It felt like hours of searching before a feeling of dread suddenly overtook the mechanic. He was trapped…

_So that's it? This is how I die? Being trapped in a goddamn cave? _Somehow Arthur felt it was oddly appropriate. Poetic justice. He slumped in defeat against the rocky wall, clutching his stump of an arm like a lifeline. _I wonder what'll kill me first…pneumonia or starvation._

Shame filled him as he felt tears start to prick at the side of his eyes. He didn't deserve tears but he couldn't stop them. He didn't want to die…not like this. There was still something he had to do.

"Lewis… I'm sorry…"

* * *

He hadn't expected it to feel this way. The cave-in hadn't exactly gone as planned but somehow it ended up _better _than what he had been anticipating. Vivi was safe and Arthur was left to rot down in the sea caverns below. He'd die slowly, painfully, and alone. Just like him.

So…why did this feel wrong?

Lewis wracked his brain for an answer. He should be happy. This was Arthur, his murderer. He was going to die in these caves and the ghost had a front row seat to it all. It didn't matter how long it would take; he was a ghost and had an endless amount of time to wait for the traitor's inevitable end.

He'd have his revenge.

He'd…

The ghost slammed his bony fist against the side of the cave. This wasn't right! He should be ecstatic about this but he wasn't! Instead it was almost he felt…_sympathy_ for Arthur. Old feelings were starting to resurface. Their old friendship…how he had always comforted the blonde when he was terrified like this.

But those memories meant nothing to Arthur, so why should they mean anything to him?

"_Lewis… I'm sorry…"_

Said skeleton perked his head up at the sound. Did he just imagine that? The voice was so muffled that he almost brushed it off as nothing, but… He looked over to Arthur, who was curled up in a pathetic ball and quietly sobbing to himself. Lewis had made sure he was invisible the entire time of watching his former friend, but looking at him now…

"I'm so sorry…"

Now that he hadn't imagined. Arthur couldn't know he was there, right? No…no of course not. That was foolish. Arthur was no medium. If Lewis didn't want to be seen then he wouldn't be.

But then that begged the question: why was he apologizing to thin air? There was nothing to gain if he didn't know Lewis was there, watching, waiting.

…Lewis decided not to think about it.

* * *

As the time went by, Arthur hadn't moved from his spot. Every now and then Lewis would be able to hear a whimpered apology from his former friend and it only made his heart grow somber. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself, this wasn't right…

"Wh-?! Oh _shit!"_

Lewis was broken out of his thoughts at the first clear thing Arthur had said in hours. He was panicking and backing up against the wall. Huh, that was weird. Lewis didn't see anything remotely scary around him and the only thing by his feet were just rocks and the rapidly rising wa-

Oh.

_Oh._

That's right, they were in a sea cave, weren't they? With the way the water was rising, high tide was coming in fast. This entire cave would be filled with water in a matter of hours.

So that's how it would go. Drowning. Not exactly the most picturesque death Lewis had in mind for Arthur but it would have to do.

Higher, higher. At first Lewis was thrilled to watch his former friend squirm and desperately try to find a way out with renewed vigor. It all proved pointless and soon enough the water was up to Arthur's neck. Lewis knew for a fact Arthur didn't float. He sunk. "Oh g-god… Help, someone please…!"

And that's when the feeling came back. How wrong the entire situation felt, it all came back full force and Lewis was almost overwhelmed. He watched as the water rose about Arthur's head and the stream of bubbles that followed. Arthur never did figure out how to properly hold his breath underwater…

Lewis was practically at war with himself. He couldn't still care for him. He didn't! He wasn't feeling sympathy for his killer at all!

Then the bubbles suddenly stopped and Lewis didn't think anymore. He lunged at Arthur's body, disappearing inside. While unconscious Arthur was even _easier _to possess. Lewis again tried not to think about it as he opened his newly acquired eyes. Instead of their usual amber, they were eerie magenta.

He quickly closed them again as they began to sting. Ow. Right. Salt water was a thing. Lewis forced Arthur's body upwards to the rapidly decreasing air pocket.

He'd almost forgotten what it was like to breathe. Arthur's body gasped for air and began to tread water as well as a one-armed person could. Unlike Arthur, Lewis actually could swim. Once that unfamiliar heart beat slowed down, Lewis took a deep breath (relishing in the feeling of air filling his lungs) and dove back under the water. He knew exactly where the exit was and prayed he could get there fast enough.

* * *

Somehow he made it.

Despite only having one arm, Lewis managed to get Arthur's body to the surface and drop it onto the shoreline. He stared at the unconscious body afterwards.

Why? He had the perfect opportunity to see Arthur die, and yet he…

"ARTHUR!"

Vivi's voice only made Lewis turn invisible. He had expected her to show up any second. Somehow she always knew. As he watched her try to shake the traitor awake, his thoughts came back to him.

'_You want to be the one responsible for his death. With your own two hands. Where's the satisfaction in letting him die any other way?'_

Yes. That had to be it. Somehow Lewis felt better at those words reassured him for his true purpose. His revenge would be complete.

But not today. He'd let him go for now.


	6. Chapter 6

_This one is just Lewvi, the canon couple. Because it's too fucking adorable for words._

* * *

He couldn't stop staring at it. He swore it was mocking him.

"Lew?"

And the longer he stared at it, the more he was starting to reconsider. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he shouldn't ask.

"Yo, Lewis."

This was a huge life change, after all… And they were just getting out of high school…

"LEWIS!"

"Huh-?!" The purple haired gent snapped his head up and gazed over at his best friend. "Wh-what?"

"You alright?" Arthur tilted his head, concerned. "You've been staring at that thing for fifteen minutes. It didn't look like you were even breathing."

With a sigh, Lewis gazed back down to the class ring in his palm before pocketing it. "Yeah, I…I'm alright." He was completely losing his nerve and it was easy to tell.

Their table at lunch time had gotten awfully quiet during the last year of their high school career. Vivi had graduated last year, which eliminated roughly 75% of the excitement the two of them were used to during school hours. They never knew how much they missed the blue girl's craziness until she didn't come here anymore.

Which was what prompted Lewis' sudden decision. Arthur smiled and nudged the other. "If you keep thinkin' about it, you're just gonna get cold feet. Why don't you just do it after school?"

"Because. That's not how I want to do it."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You guys have been dating since we became juniors. I don't think she'll mind if you don't do something super fancy, Lew. She doesn't seem like the type to like fancy things anyway."

He instantly regretted those words when Lewis' face fell. "B-but I mean hey, I know this is important to you! Er…" Arthur sighed. "Shit, sorry, Lewis… You know I didn't mean it like that."

At least that earned him a smile. Lewis put a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I know. It's just…she means a lot to me. I want this to be really special."

"And it will be! " The mechanic replied, nudging his friend once more. "But if you stare at that thing any longer, you're gonna burn a hole in it. Relax, Lew. She'll say yes no matter what you do. She loves ya more than anything."

Lewis blushed and looked away. It was always embarrassing when Arthur said things like that. "You haven't told her, have you?"

"Of course not! I just know her. And I know she'll say yes."

"Why are you so sure?"

Arthur gave his best friend a look. "Come on. You're smart, fun, pretty damn attractive (no homo), and you're just as nuts about the whole paranormal thing as she is." A pause. "…Well okay, maybe not _as_ nuts as she is, but you get the point. She's head over heels for you, Lew. No contest."

Always a way with words. Chuckling, Lewis replied, "Smart, says the guy who skipped sixth grade."

The mechanic blushed. Just one of the many reasons he was bullied; he was a year younger than anyone else in his grade. "Th-that's got nothing to do with this. Point is, I already know how this is gonna go." Brushing to topic off himself, Arthur leaned his chin into his hand. "And if it turns out I'm wrong, I'll…I dunno, buy you a few drinks or something."

"Arthur, we're underage."

"I know. Good thing we don't have to worry about that happening then, huh?" Grinning, Arthur smacked Lewis on the back. "Now go get 'er, tiger!"

A sigh. Arthur seemed to be forgetting they still had a few weeks before graduation, and from there…Lewis' plans. But he smiled nonetheless. It was hard to be so down when he had someone so confident. "Thanks, Artie."

* * *

Graduation went off without a hitch. Lewis' giant family had been overjoyed the entire time, cheering for both Lewis and Arthur. And while Lance wasn't exactly the best at showing his emotions, Arthur could tell his uncle was proud. It was really all he wanted.

But throughout all the cheering, the ones cheering the loudest were definitely Vivi and her family. Somehow they had even gotten Mystery in here. Lewis didn't want to know how long it took Vivi to convince the owners to allow that.

It felt like forever before they had a chance to rest. Between preparing the ceremony, the ceremony itself, and all the pictures (which Arthur wasn't too pleased about), the evening didn't come fast enough. "_Finally!_" Arthur groaned as he practically collapsed onto a nearby bench. "I swear, if I had to stand for one more picture, I was gonna walk out of there."

Lewis smiled sadly and put a hand on his friend's back. He always did wonder why Arthur never liked getting his picture taken. Camera shy was one thing but he seemed to genuinely hate it. "At least it's over right?"

"Right. Now we just gotta wait for everyone to find us because I'm not walking around anymore."

As if on cue, a whirl of blue appeared from nowhere and soon Lewis found himself tackled to the ground by a very excited Vivi. "You did it!" She squealed, hugging Lewis for all he was worth.

"Ack-! Vivi!"

She happily smooched Lewis on the lips before turning to Arthur. Immediately the blonde scooted away from her as much as the bench would allow it.

"V-Vivi wait-!"

Too late, now Arthur had to endure the attack of Vivi's hugs. "I'm so proud of you both! You looked amazing up there!"

"Great! Can you let go? I need my ribs, y'know!"

"Aw c'mon Artie, don't be a party pooper!"

Meanwhile, the families had caught up to the blue whirl and Lewis was bombarded with tackles from his little sisters. "Hey-!" He laughed but was slightly discouraged. It wasn't going to be easy getting Vivi alone at this rate.

But luckily Arthur seemed to catch on. Gently he pried Vivi off of him and pointed to their purple-haired friend. "I think you should rescue him."

She turned and grinned. "'Ey! You guys don't get to hog him! Move over!"

Poor Lewis. Arthur almost felt sorry for him, but as Lance put a proud hand on his shoulder, the two of them laughed at the spectacle before them. "I think you just made it worse, Art."

"Who said that wasn't the idea?~"

Lewis' sisters (and Vivi) were practically hanging off of him as he hugged his parents. His mother had to pry all three of her younger children from her oldest. "We're so proud of you, _querido_…" She said with happy tears in her eyes, pecking Lewis on the cheek.

"Ah…thanks _mamá._" He was pulled into a hug from both his mother and his father. Their family was large but no amount of love was lost between any of them. Vivi found it endearing.

"So!" Lance spoke up with a grin. "Who's ready to celebrate? All on me."

He was met with a few objections, mostly dealing with him taking the entire bill, and during the spat Lewis turned to the girl with her arms still around his waist.

And blushed. It was now or never. "Hey…Vivi?"

She looked up at him with her gorgeous blue eyes, and Lewis swore he couldn't think of anything more beautiful. "Yeah Lew?"

"Could I…ask you something?"

"Of course, silly!" Taking his hands, Vivi grinned. "What is it?"

"…In private, I mean."

The blue girl's grin fell and she tilted her head in confusion. "Well sure, but…aren't we getting ready to go?"

His chest hurt and Lewis swore he felt his heart sink a little. Maybe she didn't want to hear what he wanted to say. Maybe…

_No. Don't chicken out now. _

"Please Vivi? It's really important." The look he gave her made it impossible for Vivi to say no. She hadn't seen Lewis like this in quite a while…at least not since they started dating almost two years ago.

"Okay, okay. Don't give me your sad puppy eyes, Lew." Her smile came back and she kissed him on the cheek. "Where are we going?"

Luckily Lewis had staked this place out long beforehand, looking for the perfect place. And he had found it. "Over here," he replied with a soft smile, taking her hand and starting to lead her away from the squabble. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Arthur starting at them. He and the blonde made eye contact but before Lewis could say anything, Arthur grinned and waved them on, mouthing "good luck".

Hopefully he wouldn't need it.

* * *

"Oh wow Lew…" It wasn't much but Lewis had found a pretty secluded spot behind the building where they graduated. They even had a perfect view of the setting sun and Lewis sighed in relief. At least the aesthetics were taken care of. Now if he could only work up the nerve… "So, what did you want to ask me?"

_Here we go. _He just had to go for it. No more mulling it over in his head, just say it! "Vivi…I know this might be a little sudden and everything…" He started while guiding her to a nearby bench. "But I've thought about this a lot and…well… I love you. Like more than anything, I love you."

Vivi felt herself blush. They had told each other similar things in the past but Lewis had never been so…upfront about it. "I-I love you too, Lew… Gosh, where's all this coming from?"

He was lucky Vivi was so clueless. Chuckling, Lewis took Vivi's hand in his. "I have a point to this, I swear. I love you so much that I…w-well…" Lewis took a deep breath and placed something small into Vivi's outstretched hand and closed her palm around it. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Vivi froze. Did he just…was Lewis asking what she thought he was? Slowly she uncurled her fingers to gaze upon a small class ring. "I know we're just out of high school and everything…and w-we've got our whole loves ahead of us…" Goddammit, this was not coming out right. "But I'm not lying when I say I want to marry you, Vivi."

There. It was out in the open now and all he had to do was wait for Vivi's answer… Which was turning into one of the hardest things Lewis had ever done. She seemed startled into shock, putting a hand over her mouth as she continued to stare at the ring.

Had he gone too far? Or hell, had he said something wrong? Lewis couldn't stop himself from placing a gentle hand on her cheek. "Vivi…?"

That seemed to snap her out of it and before Lewis knew it, he found himself enveloped in those (surprisingly) strong arms of her's. "Yes! Of course I will! Yes yes yes!"

Blink. She agreed…just like that? "R-really?" And Lewis almost smacked himself. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. But the giggle that followed made it all worth it.

"Well yeah!" Lightly she bopped him atop that purple pompadour. "Did you think I'd say no? You dope."

And now he felt foolish for ever doubting Arthur and himself. Smiling, he pulled Vivi into another hug and she returned it in full. "We might…not have it for a while. Finances and all that."

"That's okay!" Lewis was relieved when she didn't seem bothered at all. "That only gives us more time to plan and make it perfect!" And before he could even catch his breath, Vivi had pulled him into a loving kiss.

At first he was surprised, unexpected, but quickly enough Lewis closed his eyes and brought her closer. The feeling of her lips on his, meshing together perfectly like a puzzle…he couldn't get enough of it.

They pulled away far too quickly for his liking but gazed lovingly at each other. "_Te quiero, _Lewlew…"

She had even started to learn Spanish just for him. As if he needed more reasons to love her. "_Yo también te quiero_, Vivi."

They shared another sweet kiss and Lewis slipped the ring onto her finger. When they pulled away he was dazed for a moment…before he snapped out of it once he saw the look on Vivi's face.

She was smirking. "Wh-what?"

"You do know I want kids, right?"

To say Lewis' face went red would be an understatement.

"I mean like, not _now, _but eventually."

"U-uh…"

"Oooh! And you said you wouldn't mind getting a ranch with a bunch of alpacas, right? We should do that too!"

"Vivi, I was _kidding _about that…"

Obviously she wasn't listening anymore. The excitement of marriage had set her off. But as she rambled on and on, Lewis had to laugh. Maybe they could have some of those things. Right now, he was just happy being in her company.

* * *

Two years. Two long years since Lewis Pepper had been lost. Two years since they'd had to watch his friends and family lower his body into the ground. Vivi simply curled a bit in her seat, careful not to smother the lovely spray of red roses and baby's breath she'd put together herself.

She'd lost the heart to lead the way she'd used to; to chase mysteries as she once had.

Today of all days, she just wanted to visit him one more time...

Watching trees pass the windows, she didn't bother asking if they were close yet. She knew.

Beside her, her dog loyally held a pouch of seeds in his mouth. Wherever Lewis was, he hoped he'd get a kick out of their planting his favorite food on either side of his grave. Ghost peppers for the ghost of their past.

The entire van was deathly silent (no pun intended) not just from Vivi and Mystery, but from Arthur as well. He couldn't even look Vivi in the eye. It was his fault that Lewis was gone; that Vivi was a miserable wreck. He had to admire her though. She kept a brave face on expertly most of the time, even going so far as to help pull himself out of the depression that had almost consumed him…

But sometimes she fell apart, just like him. The least he could do was drive her to where Lewis was buried. Arthur tried to put on his bravest face when she was like this…but he didn't have one of those.

"We're here…" he said, breaking the silence and parking the van. The sun had started to set already. Lewis loved sunsets. He always said they were the second most beautiful thing he had ever seen, the first being Vivi of course.

She nodded, sliding out of the van, Mystery trailing after. "Arffur, you got de grrden shvvvel, rrrght?" He managed, lagging behind to walk with him, letting Vivi take the lead. It was too hard to look at those lost, heartbroken eyes...

"Yeah, yeah, I got it…" the blonde mumbled back, slipping it into a small bag and slowly following after Vivi. He didn't know how much longer he could take this. Seeing Vivi like that. Running away from his crime. She…she deserved to know.

And Arthur knew he didn't deserve her friendship. He had caused all of this…

Her memory of the event was hazy, at best. The most Vivi could recall was splitting up, going down a corridor and coming into a room filled with stalagmites…and that was it. The next thing she knew, Mystery was barking, trying desperately to wake her up, and Arthur had gone into shock from somehow losing his arm.

It was a mess…everything was a mess…

The grave they were looking for was a ways in, Arthur trying not to think about how many dead bodies were buried here along with Lewis. At least he wasn't alone…

The dog issued a soft whine, nudging his nose under the man's flesh hand as they followed. Finally, Vivi was the first to kneel...well... more like fall to her knees before the tombstone formed of stones, each one placed by one of his loved ones. One dotted with bits of his birthstone at the base had been placed by her. She sniffled quietly, gently placing the roses over where she knew his head lay down below.

The dog moved up beside her, looking back at Arthur hopefully. He knew Vivi wouldn't talk, saying how much she missed him, until she was alone. It was how their grave visits always went... So they may as well plant the seeds...right?

Arthur himself remained silent but began the planting process anyway. He left Vivi alone. Maybe after this time…he could finally tell her. Tell her what really happened. Somehow he had to find the strength.

He dug a few small holes for the peppers to be planted and Arthur silently hoped that anybody who walked by wouldn't touch them. If they did, well, that was their punishment for desecrating a grave anyway. Once finished, Arthur took the small bag of seeds from Mystery.

The dog nodded and sat beside Vivi for now. As he had after the grave had been filled after the funeral, Mystery lifted his nose, issuing a sorrowful howl. The girl smiled weakly, giving the dog a one-armed hug. "I know buddy... We all miss him..."

It had been her first words all day. Watching Arthur bury the seeds, she reached for him, knowing he'd leave her alone to talk but still wanting one more hug of comfort. She needed her friends now more than ever.

He had just been about to walk away but paused when he felt Vivi's hand on his only flesh arm. She was seeking comfort.

_Don't do it. You don't deserve to comfort her. You'll just make things worse._

Arthur knew that malicious little voice in the back of his head, his own voice, was correct. He wanted to hug her but he held back. Instead, he put his robotic hand over her's. "Vivi…" he started, trying to hold himself together. "There's…there's something I gotta tell you when we're done here." A pause. "It's about Lewis…and it's something you should know."

_Enjoy her company while you can._

"But th-that can wait 'till after you're done here. Okay?" Before she had a chance to protest, Arthur stood up and began walking back to the van, hands shoved into his pockets. He never spoke to Lewis at his grave…at least not when anybody was around.

Vivi seemed to wilt, a little disappointment in her eyes as Mystery gave her an apologetic look before following. Once they were out of sight, she simply slumped at the grave, issuing a soft sob as she pressed her hands into the grass, wishing for what could be the millionth time that she was down there sleeping in his arms.

"H-hey Lew..." she murmured. "... Two years sure is a long time... Th-there was a meteor shower the other night... R-remember our third date? The one where you took me t-to see Twister at the drive-in? And there was a meteor shower halfway through the movie? ...It reminded me of that night..." She managed a tremulous smile.

"...The high school reunion is coming up too... You think Fred Jones is still trying to rock an ascot?" She laughed softly. "I tell ya. You were the only one who could..."

The tears began flowing faster and her smile shook. Eventually, she simply curled up on the ground before the grave, weeping and pleading. "I miss you, Lewlew... I miss you so much... W-Weren't we supposed to get married? Have a b-bunch of little kids and live on an alp-paca farm for the rest of our lives? P-please..." She sobbed weakly as the sun set lower and lower.

"Please come back to me, Lewis..."


	7. Chapter 7

_Lewvithur again! This one was another Tumblr prompt for the three of them getting into a fight and stress-smoker Arthur. I actually like this one a lot, though I think I made Vivi a little too emotional._

_Time After Time is by Cyndi Lauper._

* * *

Lewis could count the number of times he had seen Arthur angry on one hand.

He remembered Arthur telling him when he was alive that their over six foot friend was terrifying when angry. Back then Lewis next to never got angry either. And while he had mellowed out considerably since his time of death, both Arthur and Vivi had noticed he still had a bit of a fiery temper now.

Lewis could agree that he didn't get angry very much while alive. Arthur, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a mad bone in his body.

He'd known the guy since they were twelve years old and he could only recall Arthur getting angry, legitimately angry, maybe once or twice. Arthur just wasn't the type. Annoyed? Yes. Scared? More often than not. Happy? Not as much as he used to be but it was still in there somewhere. Lewis was still baffled at himself for ever thinking Arthur could be angry enough to purposely push him off a cliff.

In retrospect, seeing him mad was actually pretty disturbing...

"Did you seriously fall asleep on your workbench again?"

"…Maybe."

"Arthur, I swear to god, you're going to kill yourself if this keeps up."

Said mechanic rolled his eyes at the girl in blue. "Don't be so dramatic. I'm used to it."

"Correction," Lewis grumbled while crossing his arms. "You're used to working yourself too hard and passing out. That's not healthy, Arthur."

Okay, so maybe he did do that a few times…a lot…but it still wasn't anything to nag him over. Or at least Arthur didn't think so. "What are you, my mom? I'm fine." He turned back to his project (that he had fallen asleep on) and ignored the groan that Vivi gave him.

"You do know that we have an important case tonight, right? I swear if you start complaining you're tired, we're leaving you behind."

It wasn't meant to be anything other than a joke. But the second Arthur froze from Vivi's words, Lewis knew that line had struck a nerve. Whether it was from the lack of sleep or the insecurities the ghost was certain were still in his friend's mind was left undetermined…at least for now. "Leave m– Vivi, are you serious?"

The blue girl paused. She hadn't meant for Arthur to take that so personally. "What do you think? Come on Artie, you should know-"

Something inside of Arthur snapped and his already frail walls came crumpling down. It didn't take much. "It's because I'm useless, isn't it?"

Silence. Lewis and Vivi were too shocked to answer. Arthur couldn't really think that, could he?

"I knew it." The hurt in his expression was hardly masked. Arthur turned and began to walk away, determined to hide the tears threatening to spill out, but Vivi and Lewis were right on his heels.

"Arthur wait! You've got it all wrong! That's not what I meant!"

He wasn't having any of it. "Bullshit," he huffed out. "Forget it. I didn't want to go to that stupid hospital anyway."

"Come on, you can't mean that…"

"And what the hell do you know?!" Arthur turned around again, eyes furious. Just the anger alone was enough to make Vivi pause. She had never seen such a look in her best friend's eyes before. "It's always what you want to do, isn't it? I swear the word "no" isn't in your goddamn vocabulary. Haunted mansion this, haunted library that. And even when nobody else thinks it's a good idea, you just go on ahead anyway and force us to come too. Do you _ever _think about anyone but yourself, Vivi?"

That set Lewis off. _"Stop right there,"_ he warned, clenching his fists tightly. "You know damn well that's not true, Arthur."

Arthur gritted his teeth. "Of course you'd take her side!" His anger was directed at the ghost now. "You always take her side!"

"I'm not taking sides. You're being unreasonable." Lewis, Vivi noted, was eerily calm. She wasn't sure what was more terrifying, an angry Arthur or a calm Lewis when he should be angry.

"I am not being unreasonable! You two are always taking each other's sides! Why the hell am I even here?! If you guys didn't want me to travel with you, all you had to fucking do was say so!"

With that, Arthur walked out the door and slammed it shut. Vivi had immediately noticed the tears start to fall down the blonde's cheeks. But when she went to chase after him, Lewis put a hand on her shoulder. "Let him go," he said, expression unreadable. It didn't help that normally in skeletal form Lewis was hard to read, but now he was actively trying to be difficult.

"But we can't just leave him!"

Lewis' eyes softened and his human guise came back into place. He gently put a hand on her cheek. "You know how he is. Arthur says things he doesn't mean all the time. He'll get over it."

Vivi didn't seem convinced. "Just give him some space. He'll come back in a few hours. He always does."

"…Okay…"

* * *

Somehow the house seemed quieter with Arthur gone. It was hard to even fathom why. Usually Arthur was hulled up in his workshop tinkering with god-knows-what. He never made a lot of noise.

But the heavy silence that loomed over everyone left Vivi going practically insane. When one of them was upset, all of them were. Each of them dealt with it in different ways. Vivi was silent and usually pouted until she couldn't take it anymore. Mystery would sleep and wait for things to play out.

Arthur would…well…

And Lewis had to keep moving. Sometimes he left the house to just walk around but usually he would clean things or rearrange rooms and furniture.

Which was exactly what he was doing now.

Vivi hated this. She hated it when they fought and she hated feeling like this even more. They were so distracted that they had to call off the investigation until tomorrow (it was Mystery's demand). Arthur's words, even if they didn't mean them, were gnawing at her. As she watched her ghostly boyfriend wipe down the kitchen counter for what was probably the thousandth time, she finally spoke up. "Lew?"

"Yes?"

"Do I really seem like that?"

The ghost paused in his cleaning and turned to face her slightly. "Like what?"

"Like… I don't care what other people say? That I only care about myself…?"

There was a pause before Lewis sighed. Setting down the rag, he floated over and sat next to her. "Don't be silly. Of course you're not like that," he replied, wrapping an arm around her. "Arthur was just running his mouth. He didn't mean it."

Somehow she didn't seem convinced. "But…I am pushy. And…and sometimes I don't think before I act… And sometimes when you guys say something, I don't hear you or I…" Before she could continue, a soft hand landed over her mouth. It was soon replaced by the ghost's warm lips.

"I won't deny you get excited or ahead of yourself sometimes," Lewis began after he pulled away. "But Vivi, that doesn't mean you don't care. It just means you love what you do, and there's no shame in that." He gave the blue beauty a smile. "And if you didn't care, then why did you protect Arthur from my rage? Why did you help me understand what really happened that night? Why do you always know what to say to get us excited for a mission?" Vivi soon found herself in the arms of her spectral boyfriend and she desperately tried to fight the stinging tears. "Why do you love us unconditionally even when we screw up?"

Lewis had a point. She could never stop loving her boys, no matter how childish or angry they got… "We wouldn't follow you if we didn't love you back, _leader._" That earned Lewis a small nudge into his nonexistent stomach. Vivi's only response was a laugh.

"Thanks Lew…"

* * *

After six hours with no updates, Vivi started to get worried. Lewis had gone out for a spell to grab some groceries (donned with some sunglasses) and was stunned by Vivi's expression when he got back. "Is he still not home?"

"No…" She turned and stared up at him. "Lewis, he's almost never gone this long. I'm…I'm worried."

He couldn't blame her. Lewis wasn't around when this happened but from what Vivi told him, the last time Arthur had been gone for this long…

Well, she hadn't let him get out of anyone's sight for months afterwards. Lewis watched as Vivi pulled out her phone and called Arthur's cell. "Come on Artie, pick up…" A faint noise came from Arthur's room a few seconds later; Vivi's ringtone. Arthur hadn't taken his phone with him. "Great!" Vivi groaned and hung up, sifting through her contacts once more.

"Now who are you calling?"

"Lance."

Lewis could have whapped himself on the head. Well of course that would be the next person Vivi would call. As he set the groceries down, he could hear Vivi sighing in relief when she heard someone finally pick up the phone.

"_Kingsmen Mechanics."_

"Lance? It's Vivi."

There was a small pause at the other end of the line. Vivi's breath hitched. That didn't feel like a good sigh. _"Vivi? Why are you calling me? We're just about to close."_

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. Is Arthur there? He left his phone here and we haven't heard from him in hours and I'm getting worried."

"_No… He's not here. I haven't seen him all day."_

Vivi sent Lewis a worried look but Lance wasn't done on the line. _"Vivi, what's going on? Where's my nephew?" _And when he didn't get an answer, his volume increased. _"You let him go off alone for that long?!" _Vivi wasn't the only one who knew what happened when Arthur had been missing for so long, and Lance had vowed to never let it happen again.

"I-I'm sorry!" The girl in blue whimpered back, eyes brimming with tears. "He –he was upset, and he needed space, and-!"

Before she got the chance to continue, Lewis gently took the phone from her. While he understood the mechanic's anger and worry, yelling at Vivi wouldn't solve anything. "Listen, Mr. Kingsmen," he started. There wasn't any need to ask who it was, even if Lance didn't recognize the voice. Lewis was the only one who insisted on calling him that. "Arthur will be fine. We're going to go out to look for him so just relax, alright?"

There was something that could only be described as a growl coming from the other line. _"You sure as hell better." _And with a *click*, the line went dead. Lewis sighed and handed the phone back to Vivi but paused as he noticed her face was in her hands…she was crying.

"Vivi…"

"H-he was right…" Vivi sobbed out. "I r-really don't care…I'm awful…! I was…" Lewis didn't let her finish. He swept her up in his arms and held her close.

"Don't say such things. None of us knew how upset he would be." Gently Lewis pecked her cheek and gave her a kind smile. "Come on. We need to find him. Apologies can come afterwards." He watched as Vivi nodded and wiped her eyes. Good, that was the Vivi he knew and loved. Always willing to help. Lewis turned towards Mystery. "We'll all split up to find him. He didn't take the van so he can't be too far, and I have a feeling his uncle is looking too. Agreed?"

Both Mystery and Vivi nodded. Time to split up.

* * *

Lewis had to give Arthur credit; when he didn't want to be found, he was very good at hiding. The blonde next to never showed this kind of cunning.

There was no doubt in the ghost's mind that Arthur was still in town. And still alive. He'd know if one of his friends had died. And so far, while things hadn't felt _normal, _it was nothing drastic.

Yet. He sent the Deadbeats out to search too…just in case.

In human guise with his handy pair of sunglasses, Lewis peered over the edge of a certain bridge that one of the Deadbeats had led him too. If he was remembering correctly, this was the same bridge Vivi had said Arthur…well…

That was the last thing Lewis wanted to think about. His golden heart beat worriedly from inside his vest.

"_After my picture fades and darkness has turned to grey…"_

Lewis froze. That voice. Despite next to never hearing it like that, there was no mistaking who the singing was coming from. He peered over the edge and immediately felt a sense of relief.

"_Watching through windows, you're wondering if I'm okay…"_

There he was, under the bridge. He wasn't hurt, thank god. It looked like Arthur had just settled under the bridge. For the whole time he was gone? Lewis certainly hoped that wasn't the case. He could see Arthur's eyes were bloodshot and the dried tear streaks still on his cheeks. That golden heart paled a little.

"_Secrets stolen from deep inside…"_

He watched Arthur exhale and Lewis tensed immediately. That wasn't just his breath coming out…that was smoke. In his right hand Arthur had a cigarette. Lewis was under the impression that he had quit that awful habit ages ago. Evidently not…

The ghost floated down silently, making sure Arthur couldn't see him. The blonde wasn't paying attention anyway, too wrapped up in his cancer on a stick and trying to get the rest of these sorrowful notes out.

"_The drum beats out of time…"_

Arthur forgot how to breathe when he felt warm arms wrap around him from behind and Lewis nuzzled him softly. "Lewi-?!"

The ghost smiled softly at him. _"If you're lost, you can look – and you will find me. Time after time."_

"Lew…" Here he thought his tears had tried hours ago, but that wasn't the case. Arthur began to tear up once again as Lewis sang the chorus.

"_If you fall, I will catch you – I'll be waiting. Time after time."_

Especially at that part. He didn't deserve that. Lewis didn't have anyone to catch him when he fell…literally.

"I haven't heard you sing in so long." The smile was still on Lewis' face, his voice soft after the song ended and he began to wipe away his boyfriend's tears. "What's the occasion?"

Arthur looked away. "Th-there's none…I just…I don't know…felt like it, I guess."

"Mm…" The ghost's eyes trailed from Arthur's face to what was in his hand. "You're smoking." Arthur could hear the disapproving tone in Lewis' voice and he looked away, ashamed. Next to him, two empty packages of Marlboros on the gravel, sopping wet from the river. There was a third package in Arthur's lap and it was already half gone. "You've been doing it all day, haven't you?" Lewis didn't have much of a sense of smell anymore and even he could smell the smoke on Arthur.

The mechanic couldn't answer. It didn't matter since Lewis knew the answer anyway. He didn't fight when Lewis reached down and took the still lit cigarette from his fingers and put it out in the river. "Have you been here all day?" The answer came in the form of a nod. "We've been worried about you, you know. Especially Vivi."

"…" Finally Arthur found the courage to speak again. "Was she mad…?"

"No," Lewis replied while shaking his head. "She was sad, actually. What you said really hurt her." He watched Arthur swallow the lump in his throat. "She's been down on herself all day. Asking me ridiculous things like what if she really doesn't care? Things like that."

Arthur visibly winced. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean it."

"I know you didn't. But I'm not the one to apologize to." When he received no answer, Lewis sighed and stood up, pulling Arthur up with him. "You'll come back, right? We missed you all day. We couldn't even go on the mission without you."

Another wince. Now he felt even more guilty… "O-okay… I gotta make things right with her."

"Yes you do." He was cut off as Arthur started to cough. Gee, where had that come from, Lewis wondered sarcastically. "And if you won't then I will tell you how much you smoked today. Although," Lewis narrowed an eye at Arthur, making him shy away. "She'll probably be able to smell it on you."

"Y-yeah…" Arthur made a pathetic attempt at a smile in between his hacking. "I do…kinda reek…"

* * *

The first thing Vivi did when the two of them made it back was tackle Arthur into a hug with a string of apologies. Arthur felt awful. She was practically sobbing into him and it was all his fault. "Vivi…" But Arthur stopped her and gave his own apologies. He didn't mean what he said, and he could blame a lot of things for it…but he wouldn't excuse his words. He knew she cared.

The second thing Vivi did was order Arthur into the shower to at least try to dampen the smell of smoke. Right as he was turning to do just that, she exclaimed, "And don't think you're getting out of my sight that easily, mister! I'm coming with you."

Arthur halted and his cheeks flushed red. "Wh-what?!"

"You heard me. We were worried about you all day and you didn't even bother to call or anything to tell us you were alive. I'm not leaving you alone, Artie." Grabbing him by his vest, the bluenette began to drag her orange boyfriend into the bathroom. "Lew, you come too!"

"H-hey, hold on!"

Lewis grinned and floated right up next to them. "I'm coming."

"Damn right you are." Vivi was already removing her clothes on the way, leaving a nice trail of blue garments to the bathroom. "Now let's clean this troublemaker up."


	8. Chapter 8

_No couples in this one, just focusing on kid Lewis and Arthur. _

* * *

Arthur wasn't in school today.

It wasn't exactly a common occurrence. Despite not liking school all that much, Lewis never knew his friend to skip out. He didn't remember Arthur telling him he wouldn't be there, so he must be ill. Lewis frowned at this realization.

He hadn't known Arthur very long. A few months at most, but that was only because that was when the school year started. They had gone to different grade schools and it didn't take long for Lewis to see a pattern in the blonde. He always sat alone, always did things alone. Even in group projects, Arthur preferred to do it alone. What kind of person lived like that?

So Lewis stepped in. One request to sit with him at lunch later and the young man quickly realized why Arthur was always alone. He was a year younger than anyone in their grade; Arthur had completely skipped the sixth grade. It had taken a few days but finally Arthur seemed to open up to Lewis. A few months went by and they were suddenly the best of friends.

This was the first time Arthur had gotten sick since he'd known him. The blonde had mentioned he didn't get sick very often but it was always bad when he did. What a bummer… Lewis hoped his mamá would allow him to see his friend after school.

The first thing Lewis had to do after school was pick up his sisters. All of them were in the third grade, and luckily the grade school and middle school got out around the same time. As soon as his sisters saw him, they divebombed him. Luckily Lewis didn't mind and the struggle back home was worth it in his eyes. He loved his little sisters to pieces. Everyone in his new home had been so welcoming and he couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

All four of them were welcomed home once they entered the Paradiso. His sisters ran off to play but Lewis held back, making his adoptive father look curiously at him. "Lewis? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, er, no." Lewis shuffled his feet nervously. Normally he was supposed to babysit after school, but now he had plans. "It's just…Arthur wasn't at school today."

"He wasn't?" The Peppers were rather fond of Arthur too. He was Lewis' friend after all, even if the poor kid was nervous coming here. Mrs. Pepper _was _rather intimidating at first…

"Yeah. I think he's sick." He shifted his bag. "Could I, um, go see him? I'll come back as soon as I can. I just wanna see if he's alright."

Smiling, Mr. Pepper ruffled his son's hair. He was getting so tall that soon he would actually have to reach up to do that! "Of course you can. In fact…" Mr. Pepper stood up and rummaged through a few cabinets before pressing a few tea bags into Lewis' hand. "Make sure he drinks this and he'll feel better in no time."

Chamomile tea. Lewis grinned and nodded at his father, giving him a hug. "Thanks Papà!" He said cheerfully before rushing out the door.

* * *

Kingsmen Mechanics wasn't a far walk. A few blocks and Lewis found himself suddenly nervous to go inside. The shop was open but something was off. What had come over him?

Nevertheless Lewis pushed through the front door, a little bell chiming his arrival. Arthur home was actually attached to the shop, near the back. The lady who usually worked at the front desk smiled at his arrival. "Oh Lewis! Are you here to see Arthur?"

Lewis nodded. "Yes. My dad sent me here with tea and everything. Can I go see him?"

"Please do. The poor boy could use some company. Lord knows Lance is horrible at comforting people." Constance rolled her eyes. She respected her boss greatly but she knew the man did not do the feelings thing.

But she only seemed to confuse Lewis and his protectiveness flared up. "Comfort? He's not sick?"

There was a beat of silence…and Constance's face fell. "Oh…you don't know. What today is."

"Today…?"

Sighing, Constance peered towards the back of the garage where she knew Lance and Arthur would be. "Maybe I shouldn't say… It's not really my place to." But she put a gentle hand on Lewis' shoulder. "Go see him though. He needs some friendly company." She ushered the boy to the back door and Lewis hesitated only a fraction of a second before going inside.

The door went straight into a small hallway and the hallway led straight into the living room. There was nobody here and Lewis quickly made his way upstairs. "Hello?" He called out.

No answer. Lewis went further and saw that Arthur's bedroom door was open. Inside he saw Arthur sitting on the floor, curled up, and his uncle next to him with an arm around his shoulders. Even Lance looked forlorn. Lewis' heart broke at the scene. What in the world happened? "Artie…?"

Immediately Lance turned his head towards the door in shock, but relaxed when he saw who it was. He respected the kid a lot. "Hey Lewis…" And the purple haired boy was stunned. Lance was always so loud and kind of intimidating too. He never expected to hear him sound so soft. He watched as the older man pat Arthur on the shoulder. "Art, Lewis is here. Come on, get up and say hi."

Arthur didn't move, which only broke Lewis' heart even more. If Arthur was sick then it wasn't the kind of sickness Lewis had in mind. He looked sadly towards Arthur's uncle. "What's wrong…?"

"Ah, well…" For once the older man seemed nervous. And those eyes were incredibly sad. "Today's the anniversary my brother and…Arthur's parents, I mean…left us."

...Oh.

When Lewis had asked one day why the blonde lived with his uncle, Arthur had just answered that they were somewhere else and refused to say anymore. Now Lewis knew why. He felt awful. Not only because his friend had something horrible like that happen to him…but also because Arthur hadn't told him. Arthur still didn't trust him.

Then again, who was he to talk?

He threw a questioning glance to Lance and the man just smiled and stood up. Best to leave the two kids alone. Once he was gone, Lewis took his place next to Arthur, though he didn't touch him. "…I'm sorry."

There was a beat of silence before Arthur finally spoke up. "Why…?"

"Because…" Lewis replied with a sad smile. "I didn't know."

He watched as Arthur looked up, his eyes red and puffy from a full day of nothing but crying. The dry tearstains on his cheeks made Lewis' heart twist. He had seen Arthur bruised from bullying, sad from loneliness…but never like this before. "W-well no…I d-didn't say anything…"

"Is it okay for me to know?"

Sniffle. "Not m-much…I can do about it now… Sorry I didn't tell you…"

"Don't be. I understand." More than Arthur knew. Now Lewis felt comfortable enough to place a hand on his friend's back. "Can I…ask how…?"

It was quite a while before Arthur answered again. "…C-car accident…" he replied softly while trying to hold back the waterworks. "I was…was sick that day and…they went off to get medicine for me and…" But he couldn't hold it back any longer and Arthur dissolved into a fit of tears. "N-never came back…"

* * *

It took a good fifteen minutes for Arthur to calm down. During that time, Lance came back up to inform Lewis his parents were wondering if he was alright. He apologized to them and said he was probably going to be a while. Arthur needed him.

When Arthur had finally stopped sobbing, reduced to tiny sniffles, Lewis hoped it was okay for him to speak again. "I'm sorry, Artie…" he said again, tightening his one armed hold on his friend. He didn't know what else he could say.

"I miss them…" the blonde whimpered. "It's a-already been two y-years but…I just…I miss them so m-much… They w-were all I had…"

Lewis tensed. Even now Arthur felt like he was alone. Friends just felt like a foreign concept to him, like there was some sort of _obligation _that came with being his friend. That he was just baggage. But that just wasn't true… And when Lewis realized he had been quiet for far too long, he gave Arthur a small smile.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

Startled, Arthur turned his watery gaze towards his only friend. "What…now?" He watched as Lewis nodded. "Uh…s-sure."

Lewis took a deep breath and he suddenly found the floor of Arthur's room extremely fascinating. "My parents…the Peppers, I mean… They aren't my birth parents."

It was something Arthur had never even considered. The Peppers were just the ideal perfect family; all of them fit together like a puzzle and not once could anyone thing that one person didn't belong. It was a large family but nobody was left out. Everyone _adored _Lewis. "…What…?" So hearing something like that was…unreal.

"Yeah," Lewis replied, still keeping his gaze on the floor. "They said they found me on their doorstep. I was hurt pretty badly and I didn't remember anything, not even my name. Still don't. They tried everything to find out where I was from. Y'know, missing children reports, the police…but they didn't find anything. So they took me in, gave me a name, and now I'm a part of their family." He paused. "That was…a little over a year ago, I think."

Arthur didn't know what to say. Lewis was always so upbeat and friendly that the idea of something horrible happing to him made the blonde sick. "Sometimes I wonder what happened to my birth parents," Lewis continued. "But then I kinda think…maybe I'm not supposed to know. I mean I have a wonderful family now. I'm not alone; I have people that care about me. How could I ask for anything else?"

Those lavender eyes made their way back to Arthur. "It's the same as you, Artie… You have your uncle. You have everyone here at the shop." There was no getting around it. Lewis had seen the way the people in Kingsmen Mechanics treated Arthur. They loved him as if he was the most precious child in the world. "You have me too…"

Arthur felt his heart skip a beat. "Lew…" Before the blonde knew it, he was pulled into a tight hug. He began to tremble and felt the tears start to come back. But these were different… He felt himself return the hug and sob into Lewis' shoulder.

"You're not alone, Artie. So many people love you and want to help. We're all there for you…"

And just like that, Arthur felt lighter. The tightness in his chest had vanished. "Th…thank you…"


	9. Chapter 9

_A few Lewvithur hints in here but this one mostly focuses on my headcanon that Arthur is originally from England (to further add to the King Arthur reference). Also, feels ahead. I cried a little while writing this._

* * *

It had been twelve years since he'd been home.

Everything looked so different, starting with the airport. Arthur supposed he should have been expecting it but that didn't deter his enthusiasm in the slightest. In fact it only made him more excited. This would be as much of an adventure for him as it would be for his travel companions.

He didn't even notice himself slipping back into his old accent almost immediately. It just felt so _natural _now. Here he had worked so hard to train himself to speak like everyone else in the new country, in his new home. All of that out the window in a second.

It didn't hit him until he saw his friends' stares. Even then it didn't register right away. But as soon as he figured it out, he slapped his hands over his mouth. "Oh fuck–Guys I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I swear it just slipped out, I'll never do it again-!" His accent was disgusting on him, it had to be. That was why they were staring at him like that right? But he was hearing it all around him and it was just so hard not to slip back into his old voice-!

Lewis placed a hand over his mouth this time and smiled gently at him. "Artie. Relax, would you?"

He almost fell over from the force of the hug Vivi gave him. "Seriously, don't apologize. It suits you so well so don't stop speaking like that!"

"Wh…no, no, it's stupid…"

"It's cute." Arthur huffed and swatted Lewis' shoulder, prompting a laugh from the taller man.

"Don't call me cute, Lew." Much to his chagrin, his accent was only getting stronger. This was _not _proving Lewis' point and he refused to believe otherwise.

"Stop being cute and maybe I will. But that's going to be hard for you."

Vivi giggled and straightened out Arthur's vest as she pulled away from her hug. "This is so cool though, isn't it? We're actually going to see your old neighborhood!"

"Yeah, who would've thought we'd get a case all the way out here, and where you used to live even?"

Arthur was just glad their client paid for their flights over. It was a job, sure, but he wouldn't lie and say he wasn't excited to see his old neighborhood again.

Maybe later he could stop at the graveyard. Say hello to his parents. He hadn't been to their graves in twelve years either.

"You'll show us around too, right Artie?" Vivi's smile was nearly blinding. Arthur was pretty sure she was the most excited to be here.

"Well yeah, 'course I will. But uh, keep in mind I haven't been here in years, Vi. It's gonna be a little different."

* * *

Their clients were an extremely generous family who were pleased to see them as they met up at the airport. The first stop was a car rental shop (and Vivi and Lewis were completely turned around by the driver's seat being on the right side of the car and driving on the left side of the road. Arthur was the one driving around here) and from there their clients led them to the hotel they'd be staying at. They had a whole week here, after all.

A day or two to take care of this haunting problem, and the rest of the time was vacation. It was perfect!

The case was as basic as they came. Their clients were a newlywed couple that had just moved into their home. Unfortunately, the place was haunted. They had tried other paranormal groups but none of them seemed to do the job. And since the Mystery Skulls were one of the most highly rated paranormal investigators (at least from the people who actually believed this sort of thing) they sent for them. Money wasn't an issue and they were happy to pay for the trip here if they could take care of the problem. How could they turn down an offer like that?

As for the ghosts themselves, there were at least two since they heard two different voices. One sounded male while the other sounded female, although it was hard to tell. The walls rumbled, lights flickered, furniture moved, rooms were rearranged when they came home from a long day of work…and the voices were screaming something about "finding their baby".

Lewis and Vivi handled the questioning while Arthur surveyed over the papers. It seemed like the place had a small history of being haunted. Nobody was sure if it was the same ghost (or ghosts) or not but it had been like that for years. A haunted house in his old neighborhood? Well that was certainly new.

But once Arthur got a look at the address, he froze.

_N-no way._

It was his old address. _What in the world? _Since when was his old house haunted? It certainly wasn't like that when he lived there…at least as far as he was aware.

Then again, he'd been incredibly young at the time. Maybe he just didn't notice? Still, what a coincidence…

He felt a nudge on his robotic arm and looked down to see Mystery staring up at him curiously. The dog had to keep up appearances so he didn't talk, but his expression said it all.

"It's nothing, buddy…" Arthur responded before looking back at the papers and patting the dog on the head. "I'll…tell you later. When we're away from the clients and everything. Y'know." Mystery whined but he understood. As long as Arthur wasn't keeping secrets. They'd all agreed not to do that kind of thing anymore.

* * *

Vivi was stunned. "Whoa, Artie, you're seriously telling me you used to live in a place like this?" They knew their clients were pretty loaded but this house was more like a small mansion. Not nearly as big as Lewis' but still. They weren't expecting this! The outside was a little different than Arthur remembered. It looked like it had been recently remodeled.

"Well, my family's always been pretty loaded…" Arthur replied nervously, still wincing at the sound of his own voice. It was hard to hear himself speak like this again. "I guess I kinda inherited my parents' money when they…passed on. Couldn't use it 'till I was legal though." He had to get the money for his robotic patents somehow.

"So why does your uncle work in a shabby old repair shop?"

The mechanic huffed. "First of all, it's not shabby. Second of all, because it's what he likes to do. Just 'cause he has a lot of money doesn't mean he doesn't want to help people." And Arthur was more than happy to work there as well. So what happened to his parents…didn't happen to anyone else.

_Faulty brakes, they said. Couldn't stop when the other car swerved, they said. That's not gonna happen to anyone else on my watch. _

"Are you two going to keep yapping or are we actually going to go inside?" Mystery rolled his eyes and gently pushed on the back of Vivi's legs with his head. "We do have a case to solve."

"Okay, okay!" Vivi chuckled and gave Mystery a little pat before leading the way. She had been given the keys to the old house and fumbled around to find them for a moment. Arthur felt a large hand on his shoulder.

Lewis looked concerned. "You're not nervous, are you?"

"W-who me? Nah Lew, why would I be nervous?"

"Just…you seemed lost in thought for a moment there."

The blonde fell silent for a few seconds as he contemplated an answer. "Well, I mean…it's gonna be weird walking through my old house again. You were right, what really are the chances? I'm not nervous, I'm just…"

"A little weirded out?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Finally Vivi managed to get the door open and all four of them walked inside. It was a lot more different in here, though Arthur did feel a tad nostalgic. Different or not, he did recognize some things. The fireplace was the same. The stairs (and the little closet under it) were the same. It was little things like that that made the blonde smile.

After Arthur explained the general layout of the house, it was decided the four of them would split up to cover more ground. The house was a lot bigger on the inside than the outside.

Arthur took the upstairs. He was more curious about how his old room looked than the ghosts, if he was being completely honest with himself. But just as he was about to open the door, he felt a chill down his spine.

_Oh no. Here? Now? _He almost groaned but kept it turn and turned to see a faint figure disappear down another hallway and around a corner. _Why is it always me? _

But now that he saw it, he couldn't ignore it…as much as he wanted to. Swallowing nervously, Arthur followed the figure. Whoever it was, he faintly saw a white gown…was it a gown? It was hard to tell but he knew it was at least a skirt…so probably the person with the female voice. Where was the male one then?

Down the hall, Arthur came to a set of double doors and he felt a little sick. This had been his parents' room. He remembered always sneaking in there and hiding under their bed before popping up to surprise them.

Best not to think about that now. Unless she had gone through the floor, this was the only other place down this hallway. He could hear a faint sound coming from inside the room as well.

…Sobbing? _"My baby…where is he…?"_

Just like what their clients said.

"_He was taken away…bring him back…"_

There was the male voice, wanting the same thing. Steeling himself, Arthur pushed through the massive doors and peered around. "H…hello?"

It was deathly silent now (no pun intended) and Arthur couldn't see any ghosts in here. Had they moved somewhere else? But just as soon as he thought that, the soft sobbing came back. _"Bring him back…!"_

There they were. Hunched over near the bed, two figures were curled around each other. A couple maybe? A couple looking for their…son, it sounded like.

"Um…hello there?" Arthur tried again, causing the figures to snap their head in his direction.

And Arthur swore he forgot how to breathe.

Both of them were dressed in formal attire. The man had familiar spiky blonde hair while the female had beautiful white flowing locks. Their eyes were just like Lewis', hollowed out like a voice and glowing irises. The man had deep brown irises while the woman had radiant amber ones.

They stared at each other for what felt like ages before Arthur finally found the will to speak.

"M…Mum? Dad?"

* * *

_Daniel and Theresa Kingsmen. Married for fourteen years with only one son. Cause of death: Side of the car hit and they tumbled off the road. Daniel with a broken spine and Theresa pierced by multiple shards of glass from the broken windshield. Time of death: 20:24. Only living relative located in the United States._

Those words had been drilled into his head for years. He was pretty sure the cops hadn't meant for him to hear it but he had. His parents were dead.

He had just seen them an hour ago… He was sick; they were just going to get him medicine…

And now they were suddenly standing right in front of him twelve years later. He felt himself start to tear up, despite fighting it. They looked no different than the last time he'd seen them (save for the eyes and the formal attire; Arthur was starting to become convinced that death made everyone dapper). He, on the other hand…he probably looked a lot different.

That was probably why they didn't recognize him. They were probably expecting a ten-year-old boy. _"Who…?" _The walls around them rattled from his father's, Daniel's, voice and Arthur shuddered. No, no he couldn't be scared. These were the ghosts of his _parents. _They hadn't moved on this whole time, confined to their old home. But why? _"Who are you?"_

"I-it's me!" Arthur tried again, gesturing to himself and a few tears rolling down his cheeks. "Dad, it's _Arthur!"_

The ghosts stared at him as if they couldn't believe their eyes. _"A…Arthur…?" _His mother, Theresa, floated forward to get a better look at the mechanic, who gave her a gentle smile.

"Yeah, Mum. It's me…" He didn't flinch away when the ghost of his mother put a hand to his cheek. She was freezing, but he didn't care. He was used to that by now.

"Arthur…" Her voice lost the small echo it carried before and before Arthur knew it, he was being squeezed tightly in a hug. "ARTHUR!" Soon enough his father joined in. Arthur wasn't normally one for close contact (unless it was with Vivi and Lewis) but this he didn't mind a bit. In fact he clung to them right back, choking out a small sob.

This was real. They were dead but they were _here. _"Oh my baby! My baby boy!" Theresa shrieked with joy, pelting her son's face with kisses.

"I wouldn't say he's much of a baby anymore, Theresa," Daniel said with an echoing laugh. He turned Arthur to face him. "You've gotten so tall…"

"W-well yeah, I mean…" Arthur smiled sadly. "It's been twelve years, Dad."

"Has it truly been that long…?" A nod. "So that would make you 22 this year?" Another nod.

"Oh hush." Theresa wasn't having it. She clung to her son desperately. "You're still my baby boy, Arthur."

He'd let that slide, but only because it was his mum and he hadn't seen her in so long. "But where have you _been _all these years?" Daniel put a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "We couldn't find you anywhere…"

And that's why they stayed behind; why they hadn't moved on. They were looking for him. Of course, they couldn't have known. Arthur's face fell. "I was…was… W-well y'know, I didn't have anywhere to go after you both…" He let that part drop. "S-so I was told I had to live with Uncle Lance. He was there at the funeral and…and took me to the States." Before living with Lance, Arthur had seen his uncle maybe once or twice. He barely knew the man but was sent to live with him anyway. Not that he was complaining. Now Arthur loved his uncle to pieces.

There was a beat of silence and Arthur's parents embraced him once again. "We're so sorry, Arthur…"

"We didn't want to leave you behind…"

Arthur shook his head. "It's n-not your fault. You guys didn't mean to get into an accident." He forced a smile for them. "Besides…I work at Lance's shop now. I make sure things like that won't happen to anyone else."

They beamed at him. They couldn't be more proud. That was just like their Arthur, always thinking of others…

"So, Lance's shop, huh? How's that old codger doing?"

* * *

He couldn't explain the feeling of catching up with his parents. It was unreal to have them here but at the same time it was as if they never left. Arthur explained everything. How school had been after moving to the US (though he left out the bullying parts), working at the shop, meeting Lewis and Vivi, the three of them along with Vivi's pet dog starting up a paranormal investigators group ("So that's why you weren't so shocked to see two ghosts floating around.")…even going on to say how he was dating his two best friends. They were more than thrilled for him.

"Don't worry, they're here too! I'll introduce you to the-!" Arthur paused and then smacked his forehead. "We were here on a case! I completely forgot about them…" How long had he been talking for? He was surprised Vivi hadn't called him up by now.

"Arthur…" Theresa's voice had gone so quiet. Once again she floated over to him but this time she put a hand on his arm.

His robotic arm. Arthur flinched, realizing he left that part out. "U-uh…"

"What…is this?"

"Um…my arm?"

Daniel narrowed an eye. "Why is it made of metal?"

Arthur suddenly found the floor extremely fascinating. "B-because I, uh…lost my real one. So I made another."

"You-?!" His parents looked at each other, horrified. "You lost your arm?!"

"H-how? What happened?"

Oh boy. That was a can of worms Arthur did not want to open ever again, especially not to his parents. He clutched onto his metal arm, a nervous habit he never managed to break. "I…"

"He's here!" Arthur counted his lucky stars when he heard Mystery's voice. He must have sniffed him out, because a second later Mystery came bounding in and was licking his face. "Wh-whoa hey! Down boy!"

Lewis and Vivi came in soon after. Vivi was about to chastise Arthur for not charging his phone _again _but stopped when she saw the ghosts. "Uhhhhh…Arthur?"

"What's going on here?" Lewis finished her sentence for her.

Looking in between the ghosts of his parents, Arthur grinned. "Guys? These are my parents. Mum, Dad, that's Lewis, Vivi, and Mystery. The ones I told you about."

"Hold on, _what?!"_

* * *

"Arthur dear, you didn't tell us your boyfriend was a ghost."

"Well geez Mum, he wasn't always a ghost, y'know."

Many more explanations were in order, and most of the questions came from Vivi. It was during that time that Arthur noticed something horrifying.

His parents were fading.

His heart sunk. It was bound to happen eventually. They had to move on and who was he to stop them?

Well their son, of course! He hugged them both tightly, refusing to let go. "I'm g-gonna miss you guys…" Arthur sniffled. Somehow their ghostly embrace had turned warm.

At least he had seen them again. At least he had seen them properly before they moved on… It was the closure he needed.

"Oh Arthur…" Theresa kissed her son's forehead and wiped some tears away. "We'll miss you too…but we're so glad you're safe. That's all we ever wanted…"

Daniel squeezed him tight. "We're so proud of you, son. You've already done so many wonderful things. We couldn't be happier for you."

Arthur flinched. He still hadn't told his parents about his arm. And from the way things were looking…he wouldn't get a chance to. "I'm n-not all that great, Dad…" And Lewis knew immediately what he was referring to… It broke his heart.

"You hush." Theresa gave him another peck. "You're a wonderful person, Arthur. And we love you."

"We'll _always _love you."

God he missed them saying that… "I l-love you guys too…" Arthur choked out.

And just like that, they vanished. Their embrace was soon replaced by Lewis and Vivi's arms in comfort as Arthur sobbed. He was so glad they were at peace now. They weren't suffering.

He made himself a promise that day. When he eventually saw them again, he'd tell them about his arm. They deserved to know.


	10. Chapter 10

_Headcanon time. Since discovering that Lewis was indeed adopted by the Pepper family, here's my take on what happened._

* * *

Everything was cold…

"_**It's too strong!"**_

His entire body felt numb. He didn't even feel the rain pelting his skin anymore.

"_**Quick, get him to safety!"**_

But his mind was so foggy. He didn't know where he was going. He had to keep moving, but why?

"_**I can't–I can't leave you here!"**_

He couldn't even run anymore. It was so hard to move. But he had to keep going.

"_**Take our son and go. I'll catch up with you later, I promise."**_

Up ahead, he could see the blurry outline of a building. There was a sign on it but he couldn't read what it said.

"_**Oh god it–it caught up!"**_

"_**Mom…?"**_

The ground was suddenly pressed against his face. When had his legs given out on him?

"_**What did you do to him?!"**_

So cold…

"_**It won't stop…"**_

"Oh my g–HONEY! Quick, get over here!"

"_**Lewis RUN!"**_

The last thing he saw before everything went dark was a flash of green…

* * *

And then it was suddenly warm.

Slowly he opened his eyes. It took a minute but things were starting to come into focus. The room around him was entirely unfamiliar. Everything looked so white and blinding. And it smelled like medicine. As he sat up, he only became more confused. His arm was attached to a few machines beside him.

His whole body ached. His head was aching. But at least that meant he wasn't numb anymore.

He froze when he felt another pair of eyes on him. In the corner, there sat a little girl with light pink eyes staring, amazed. She couldn't be older than two or three. Was there something on his face…?

As soon as he made a move to speak, the little girl bolted out the open door. "He's up!" Came a shrill voice. "Mama, Papa, he's up!"

Seconds later another two unfamiliar faces peered into the room, a man and a woman. They looked relieved. "Oh thank goodness…" The woman walked over and brushed a few strands of his purple hair out of his face. He didn't flinch away. Her touch was gentle and warm and…safe.

The man sat down next to him as well. "We were all worried. You gave us a little scare there."

"What's your name, dear?"

He didn't answer. In fact, the boy looked slightly panicked.

The two of them smiled gently at him, and as they introduced themselves and their three two-year-old daughters. Perhaps if they did it first, he would feel more comfortable about telling them his name. The boy felt himself relaxing. Already he liked these people. They were kind to him, to a complete stranger…

But still he did not speak. It dawned on the Peppers that perhaps this child was incapable of speaking. They decided to try again, just in case. "Where are your parents?" Mr. Pepper asked, finding it rather appalling that this child had been left alone in the state they found him in. Half starved, half dead…who would leave their child in such a state?!

Maybe he was a runaway…?

But at his silence, the Peppers grew a little nervous. The poor boy seemed to think about it for a moment and then suddenly looked horrified. "I…I don't…"

He spoke! The Peppers leaned forward in anticipation. "You don't…?"

He stared into his lap. "I d-don't…remember…" Almost everything in his life was a complete blur. Parents, family, even his name…he knew nothing. Everything was blank. "Why can't I…?" What could he do? Where could he go? He felt tears welling in his eyes. He was so scared…

A hand found its way onto his shoulder and Mrs. Pepper offered Lewis a gentle smile. "Don't you worry. You'll find them." She wiped away some stray tears. "And we'll do everything we can to help you."

The boy sniffed and leaned into the gentle touch. He needed any kind of comfort. "R-really…?"

Mr. Pepper nodded, watching as their three girls peeked their heads up over the bed to look this new face over. "Really. We promise."

He didn't know what to say. He had only just woken up and already people were taking care of him. What _could _he even say? How could someone with no memories possibly find his previous life? How could someone with no memories ever make it up to them?

Wait, no…that wasn't true.

"Le…"

"_**LEWIS RUN!"**_

His head was _throbbing, _like someone had taken a jackhammer to it. All he could see was green. Why green? What did that mean? Who was screaming in his ears?! The pulse meter sped up greatly and a nurse came rushing in a few seconds later to see what the noise was about. She would see three tiny girls trying to comfort the boy on the bed. "Did something happen?"

The Peppers looked at each other, unsure. But the triplets knew what to do. Their parents would always do this for them when they were scared. Hugs, back rubs, humming a soothing melody, they were incredibly smart for their age. The boy calmed down in no time and finally spoke up.

"L…Lewis. That's my name."

* * *

Days turned into weeks and there was still no sign of this strange boy's family. They tried everything, going to the police, missing children reports… The triplets even wanted to make posters.

The police had deduced Lewis couldn't be any older than twelve. Mulberry colored hair with matching eyes, and he was pretty tall for his age as well. He was someone you couldn't miss in a crowd. His family would know immediately if they saw him.

But nothing ever came back. It was as if his parents had vanished; as if his whole _family _had vanished. Nobody was looking for a boy named Lewis, and with no last name to go with, they couldn't do a thorough search.

With nowhere else to go, Lewis was released into the care of the Pepper family (by request) after the hospital allowed him to leave, and within a few days he was up and walking. The sign he saw before was a sign for a restaurant, Pepper Paradiso, that specialized in sweet and spicy foods. Lewis wasn't exactly sure what that meant but he was more than willing to learn.

He had decided. For as long as he stayed here, he would help these kind people. Even when Mister and Missus Pepper were hesitant, Lewis insisted. He would do anything; needed to do _something. _It would drive him crazy if he didn't.

Dish washing was perhaps the safest job they could give to an eleven-year-old, and even then the Peppers weren't completely comfortable with it. But Lewis just looked so _happy _to finally being able to help in some way. He never complained. They couldn't take that away from him.

Late night talks only confirmed to the Peppers that nobody was coming for the poor boy. He had either been abandoned or something had happened to his family. With the state Lewis was in when they found him, either option seemed equally likely.

They decided. They couldn't let this poor child into an adoption home. In fact their girls had already taken to calling Lewis their big brother. It only seemed natural to adopt him…and Lewis was more than overjoyed.

They sent him to school. He made wonderful friends and even found someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He had a family. He had people who cared for him. He would dedicate his life to these people.

He never imagined that, a mere ten years later, his life would end.

And a broken family was soon to follow.

* * *

Something felt off as soon as he stepped foot into the cave. A strange sense of déjà vu? Lewis couldn't place it but it almost felt like he had been here before.

But that was impossible…wasn't it?

_**Welcome back~**_

He froze for a split second, causing the blonde trailing behind him to crash into his back. "Shit –Lew? You okay?"

"…Yeah. I'm alright, Arthur. Just a chill, that's all."

"Ugh, tell me about it…"

No, he just imagined that. It was nothing.

He wished he had listened to his instinct.

Everything happened so fast. One second he was looking over the edge of a very steep cliff, wincing at the sharp stalagmites below. The next second he heard a noise, one that almost sounded like a plea for help. He turned to face the one behind him.

And then the next, he was falling. Panic. Terror. Disbelief. Arthur couldn't have, no, _not Arthur!_

Suddenly he wasn't falling anymore. The seconds started to drag. Something was wrong. He felt odd, his body was so heavy.

And…he was pretty sure…his chest wasn't…supposed to have that…sticking out of it…

Arthur. Arthur pushed him. Arthur _killed him._

_Why?_

His head flopped to the side, completely limp.

_Vivi?_

The girl of his dreams, the one he loved more than anything, the one he wanted to marry. She looked terrified and Lewis realized with horror at what she was witnessing.

_Vivi no…!_

She sank to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks and she screamed.

"_I don't…want you…to see…!"_

* * *

The only words that could describe it were "chain reaction". Everything happened so fast.

Possession.

Murder.

Dismemberment.

Heartbreak.

Nobody was certain what had truly happened that day, not even the one who caused it all.

Damned fox. Because of _him…!_

It had finally gotten rid of the last of the line. How perfect its plan had been! And the host was just _so easy _to possess; to feed off his jealousy was delicious. It only made it stronger.

And then the kitsune stepped in. As soon as the possessed arm was ripped from its host's body, it felt its power drained away. Sapped straight from the source.

But where had it gone? Power like that didn't just vanish. It needed a host as well. But the spirit did not get its answer. It was trapped and tossed aside, skittering off.

Meanwhile, Lewis made sure Vivi did not see this. See the bloody mess he had become. How? He didn't know. Suddenly he had power, despite how weakened and drained he felt. And he was going to use it to make her forget all of this.

_I'm sorry…_


	11. Chapter 11

_On Tumblr, there was a LewVi week. This was my contribution. Obviously this is pre-cave._

* * *

"Excuse you, who said you could be the big spoon?"

The man in purple grinned, reaching over to pinch a section of Vivi's sweater on her arm, waggling it around a little. "Your arms are too tiny. They can't wrap around me."

"Says you!" Vivi promptly spun around in Lewis' lap and wrapped both her arms around her boyfriend to prove him wrong. It didn't work out so well; her hands only reached halfway towards his back.

"See? Told you."

"Shut your face."

"My handsome face."

"Your stupid, dopey, sexy, handsome face, yes." Vivi buried her own face into Lewis' chest with a giggle and Lewis couldn't help one of his own. "It's not fair. Arthur can hug you just fine and his arms are tiny too."

"Scrawny," Lewis corrected. "His arms are very scrawny but they're long. That's why."

He received a raspberry as a response. Vivi could be so childish at times. "Well _excuuuuuuse me, _Princess." And her face was right back into Lewis' chest. She felt strong arms around her and sighed in contentment, feeling that large chest tremble in a chuckle.

They sat in silence for a while, just holding each other and enjoying their company. The beating of Lewis' gentle heart was almost lulling her to sleep. "I like this," Vivi finally spoke up again.

"Hm?"

"This. Being with you like this."

"You mean being a couple?"

"Yeah." Mulberry eyes were suddenly met with gorgeous cyan and Lewis was lost in them for a moment. "I thought it would be kind of weird at first. Y'know, dating one of my best friends. I was…kind of afraid things would be awkward or too different or something."

She felt that chest rumble again. It was soothing in a way. "Why do you think it took me so long to ask you out? I was nervous you'd say no and our friendship would be out the window. Arthur convinced me otherwise."

"Arthur did?" Vivi smiled. In the three years she had known the blonde, she never pictured him the type to play cupid. "I didn't know he was such a matchmaker!"

"You should've seen him. He was really pushing me to ask you out."

"Pushing _you? _Our Arthur? Him and his _scrawny arms?"_

She received a flick to her cute little nose, something Lewis had lovingly started doing to his sisters when they got smart with him. Her squeak was adorable. "Yeah," he continued. "Said you and me needed to stop dancing around each other and just kiss already."

The blue beauty let out a full blown laugh. Now that was fun to picture. She could just see and hear the pep talks in her mind. "Well I guess I'll have to thank him then."

There was a pause, and then without warning Vivi scooched a little closer to her boyfriend, siting up on her knees so that the two of them were eye-to-eye. "Vivi?" But before Lewis could question further, she grabbed a hold of his ascot to pull him into a deep kiss; one that Lewis was frozen in place for a full five seconds before he finally willed himself to respond to.

He felt like he'd never get tired of this. Their first kiss had been amazing and each subsequent one didn't deter the feeling in the slightest. When Vivi finally pulled away, Lewis felt dazed, and probably looked it too if the smile on her face was anything to go by. "Did I just blow your mind with my awesome skills?"

Well that snapped him out of it. "Yes," he replied with a smile of his own. "Completely."

"And I bet you wanna do more, huh?" The question caught Lewis off guard, especially with the way she was leering at him.

Was she serious? "Vivi, we've only been dating a month." Lewis would later be proud of the way he held himself together when she was looking at him like that.

But she laughed and Lewis felt himself relax. Okay, so she was joking. Probably.

"You should have seen the look on your face!"

Most likely.

"You are _such _a brat."

Another raspberry. "But you love me anyway!"

"True." Lewis gave her another kiss, this one a small peck on the forehead, before settling back into their embrace. Luckily Vivi was feeling compliant for now.

She was perfect. Everything he could have ever wanted and more. He owed Arthur big for this.


End file.
